SECI to Issue 500 MW Solar Thermal Tender by FY25, Says Chairman RP Gupta

SECI is expected to issue a tender for 500 megawatts (MW) of solar thermal capacity by the end of FY25, as stated by its Chairman and Managing Director, RP Gupta. This will be the first time in India that a tender of this scale will be floated. Gupta mentioned to reporters at the India Energy Storage Week 2024, organized by the India Energy Storage Alliance (IESA), on Wednesday that the tender is anticipated to be released by the end of the 2024-25 financial year. He clarified that although there have been previous solar thermal tenders, they were smaller in scale and incurred high costs. The upcoming 500 MW tender will feature advanced technology to generate steam through heat for turbine operation. Moreover, Gupta stated that the prices will be competitive with other Round the Clock (RTC) solutions, without providing further details. Solar Energy Corporation of India Limited (SECI) serves as the central government’s nodal agency for auctioning renewable energy projects, including RTC projects encompassing solar and wind capacity with battery storage.