The Uttarakhand Renewable Energy Development Agency (UREDA) has floated a new tender for setting up 200 MW of grid-connected solar power projects under Uttarakhand Solar Energy Policy-2013 (Amended -2018). The last date for the submission of bids is March 15, 2019. The amount of money required for participating in the bidding process is ₹50,000(~$708.25) per 100 kW. Uttarakhand, a small hilly state that was carved out of Uttar Pradesh, has begun making efforts to include solar power in its energy mix in order to meet its increasing energy requirements in a sustainable and intelligent way. Recently, the Uttarakhand Irrigation Department also issued a Request for Proposal for the installation of 40.84 MW of solar PV projects on the periphery of Tumaria and Haripura dams under BOOT (build, own, operate) model. These dams are located in Udhamsinghnagar district of Uttarakhand. Out of the tendered 40.84 MW capacity, 27.34 MW is slated to be installed at Haripura Jalasay while the remaining 13.50 MW will be installed at Tumariya Jalasaya. In December 2018, the Uttarakhand Electricity Regulatory Commission issued a draft order regarding the review of benchmark capital cost for solar PV, solar thermal, grid-interactive rooftop, and small solar PV projects to be applicable for the financial year 2019-20. Recently the UERC also introduced a cross-subsidy surcharge for open access consumers in the state. Back in April 2018, the commission also released draft tariff regulations for the supply of electricity from renewable energy sources and non-fossil fuel based co-generating stations for the year 2018. Earlier, Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture and Technology in Uttarakhand’s Pantnagar town, had tendered a 5 MW grid-connected rooftop solar project. In April 2017, solar projects aggregating 110 MW were commissioned in the state of Uttarakhand. In the same month, Abengoa, a Spanish renewable energy company commissioned a 5 MW solar PV power project in India. The project was developed at Roorkee, Uttarakhand. Nitin is a staff reporter at Mercomindia.com and writes on renewable energy and related sectors. Prior to Mercom, Nitin has worked for CNN IBN, India News, Agricultural Spectrum and Bureaucracy Today. He received his bachelor’s degree in Journalism & Communication from Manipal Institute of Communication at Manipal University and Master’s degree in International Relations from Jindal School of International Affairs. More articles from Nitin Kabeer
A tender for 200 MW of grid-connected solar schemes has been launched by the Uttarakhand Renewable Energy Development Agency, as part of its aim to include solar in the region's sustainable energy mix. It follows a recent request for proposals issued by the Uttarakhand Irrigation Department for 40.84 MW of solar projects in the Udham Singh Nagar district. In the financial year 2019-20, the Uttarakhand Electricity Regulatory Commission ordered a review of solar benchmark capital costs for the 2019/20 financial year.