Adani won 600 MW at Rs 2.69 per unit, while Renew Power got 120 MW at Rs 2.70
BENGALURU: Tariffs in a wind-solar hybrid auction conducted by the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) on Monday remained nearly unchanged from last year, with only two participants bidding for 1,200 MW worth renewable power projects.
Adani won 600 MW at Rs 2.69 per unit, while Renew Power got 120 MW at Rs 2.70. The projects can be located anywhere in India, and linked to the interstate transmission system. SECI is the nodal agency of the renewable energy ministry responsible for holding wind and solar auctions.
When SECI conducted a hybrid auction in December, tariffs were around Rs 2.67 per unit. Participation in that round, too, was tepid. While the auction was for 1,200 MW, only 840 MW was allocated to the Softbank-backed SB Energy, and Adani Power.
Experts attributed the poor response in the current auction to the ceiling tariff, which was set at Rs 2.70 per unit, which they said was too aggressive. Since the capacity utilization factor (CUF) for this tender has to be at least 30%, most of the capacity will be wind-based, they said.
CUF is typically the standard for measuring plant performance.
“In wind projects, usually the CUF is 35% at the best sites, and for solar it is about 21%,” Vinay Rustagi, managing director of renewable energy consultancy Bridge To India told ET last week. Recent auctions have seen bids for wind power at around Rs 2.80 per unit, and Rs 2.55 for solar power.
“Very few IPPs (independent power producers) have the ability and understanding to execute both wind and solar, hence the reduced participation levels,” said a solar developer, requesting anonymity.
Source: energy.economictimes.indiatimes
