Centre amends requirements for HVDC transmission system bids
New Delhi: The union ministry of power has made changes to the technical requirements for bidding of high voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission systems through tariff based competitive bidding (TBCB) route. Through the amendment, government has raise the requisite period of experience in the infrastructure to 10 years from 5 years. The minimum individual project experience would be ₹100 crore.
Further, earlier, the capital expenditure of each previous was looked at for qualification of developers. However, post the amendment, the at least one project would have to reach the specified threshold of capital expenditure mandated in the bidding documents. The relaxation in technical requirement of HVDC system would be effective for a period of two years, said a notification.
“It has come to the notice of this Ministry that many private transmission developers do not fulfill the technical requirement for bidding of HVDC systems through TBCB route, as per the specified qualifying criterion w.r.t. HVDC Systems incorporated in the Standard Request for Proposal (RfP)," the notification added. The decision to modify the standard bidding document has taken after examination of the matter by the ministry in consultation with Central Electricity Authority (CEA), it said.
The focus on transmission projects comes on the backdrop of government ambitious target to reach 500 GW of installed renewable energy capacity by 2030. Currently, the installed green energy capacity in the country stands at 173.619 GW. Centre has also come up with a plan to build transmission systems required for having 500 GW of renewable energy installed capacity by 2030, which the government anticipates would required an investment of ₹2.4 trillion.
. Read more on livemint.com
