RUMSL Invites Bids for ESIA of 600 MW Floating Solar Project in MP

Highlights :

  • If it moves forward, the project will dwarf most floating solar plants around the world with its size.
  • The troubles with the 150 MW Rihand floating project also underscore the many challenges large floating solar projects have to overcome.
RUMSL Invites Bids for ESIA of 600 MW Floating Solar Project in MP Sri Lanka to Witness its First PV Auction with 200 MW Floating Solar Tender

The Rewa Ultra Mega Solar Limited (RUMSL) is seeking bids from consultants for the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) of a 600 MW floating solar PV project and its auxiliary structures (including floating/ marine structures, transmission infrastructure, etc.) located in the Kaveri Branch reservoir of Omkareshwar Dam, Madhya Pradesh. The move was long awaited, with the project potentially the biggest floating solar project worldwide when completed. Assuming forward progress with the ESIA, actual award and work is unlikely to start this year of course.

The last date to submit the bids is September 13, 2021, and bids will be opened on September 14, 2021. The power from the 600 MW floating solar park would be evacuated through dedicated transmission line to nearest CTU/STU substation.

RUMSL, a joint venture of Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) and Madhya Pradesh Urja Vikas Nigam Limited (MPUVNL), said that financial support for the project will be sought from multilateral agencies or financial institutions.

A preliminary baseline study has already been conducted for the solar park, which will be shared with the selected consultant(s). But the broad scope of the new study is to conduct the ESIA through covering environmental, social and economic aspects so as to predict the positive and negative impacts of the proposed project during its construction and operation phases, says RUMSL’s RfP (request for proposal).

Additionally, the consultant(s) should evolve mitigation measures in the form of Environmental Management Plan to mitigate adverse effects, including the socio-economic aspects and R&R Plan for project affected people.

At the end of the study, the consultants will recommend a framework for managing environmental and social impacts in the project area and its surroundings; as per the key requirements of the Government of India and Asian Development Bank (Safeguard Policy Statement, 2009), as applicable.

Notwithstanding anything contained in the preliminary baseline study, the selected consultants will be required to evaluate and examine the outcome of their own study and may rely solely on their individual judgement.

Bidders are required to submit, as part of their proposal, a bid security of Rs 5 lakhs. The successful bidders will have to submit a Performance Security of Rs 5 lakhs with the acceptance of order that will be valid for 6 months.

In order to be eligible to submit bids, the consultant must be a single entity or a consortium of entities (maximum two entities including lead bidder’s entity), such that the consultant / members of the bidding consortium are each be a company registered under the Companies Act, 1956/2013 or Limited Liability Partnership firm registered under Limited Liability Partnership Act, 2008.

The consultant should have completed at least two environmental and social impact assessment assignments or two environment impact assessment studies and two social impact assessment studies during the last five financial years.

The consultant should have ongoing or completed projects comprising one environmental and social impact assessment or one social impact assessment, or one environmental impact assessment on floating solar projects or offshore wind projects on any water body within or outside India.

Additionally, the consultant should have completed at least one environment and social impact assessment or one environmental impact assessment and one social impact assessment study in the last five financial years on power transmission projects, says RUMSL.

The consultant should also have environmental and social advisory experience covering impact assessment for more than five years.

The bidder’s minimum turnover from consultancy services should be at least Rs 5 crores in at least two of the last five financial years.

The proposal will remain valid for the period of 90 days from the last date of submission. The proposal with validity of less than 90 days may be rejected as non-responsive.

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Soumya Duggal

Soumya is a master's degree holder in English, with a passion for writing. It's an interest she has directed towards environmental writing recently, with a special emphasis on the progress being made in renewable energy.

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