The Ministry of Power has issued amendments in the Standard Bidding Documents (SBDs) for procurement of lnter-State Transmission Services through Tariff Based Competitive Bidding (TBCB) process (Technical Qualification Requirement for HVDC system). This notification was issued on 8th August, 2023.
The revised documents, which comprise the “Request for Proposal (RfP)” and the “Transmission Service Agreement (TSA),” were initially issued on 13th August, 2021. Furthermore, an amendment to these documents was introduced, including provisions for the calculation of Aggregate Capital Cost in relation to High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) Systems. This amendment was issued on 21st June, 2023.
The Ministry noted that several private transmission developers had encountered challenges in meeting the technical requirements for bidding on HVDC systems via the TBCB route, specifically related to the qualifying criterion regarding the aggregate capital cost of projects and aggregate payments received (CAPEX) to be fulfilled by the bidding company or lead member of the Bidding Consortium.
In response to this, the Ministry, in consultation with the Central Electricity Authority (CEA), conducted a thorough examination of the situation. Consequently, a decision has been made to modify paragraph 2.1.2 of the Standard Request for Proposal (RfP) document.
The modification primarily entails an increase in the experience requirement for the development of projects in the Infrastructure Sector, along with an escalation in the number of projects. This change is expected to facilitate broader participation of private transmission developers in bidding for HVDC systems under the TBCB framework.
