New Delhi: Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE) has sanctioned a Scheme for Setting up of 1000 MW Inter State Transmission System (ISTS) connected Wind Power Projects on 14 June 2016. The Scheme provides for formulation of Guidelines by MNRE for implementation of the Scheme. This was stated by Shri Piyush Goyal, Minister of State (IC) for Power, Coal, New and Renewable Energy and Mines in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha today. Accordingly, after stakeholders’ consultation, MNRE issued Guidelines on 22 October 2016. The salient features of the Guidelines are given below:
(i) Scheme to be implemented by Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI).
(ii) Wind projects will be selected through open and transparent competitive bidding
process followed by e-reverse auction.
(iii) Eligible project capacity will be minimum 50 MW and maximum 250 MW per bidder.
(iv) Trading Company, selected by SECI, will sign Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with selected bidder and back-to-back Power Sale Agreement (PSA) with buying entities at a pooled price of the total bids selected. The duration of PPA and PSA will be 25 years from commercial operation date of the project.
(v) The transmission of power up to the point of interconnection where the metering is done for energy accounting shall be the responsibility of the bidder. Use of State transmission system to bring wind power at ISTS point also allowed.
(vi) Part commissioning allowed subject to commissioning of atleast 50 MW or 50% of the allocated Project Capacity, whichever is higher.
(vii) Project to be completed within 18 months from issue of Letter of Award. Maximum period of 27 months allowed for completion of project with penalties.
(viii) Minimum declared Capacity Utilization Factor to be 20%. Provision of compensation in case of shortfall in minimum generation.
(ix) Wind projects to submit monthly performance data through Online.
