Tata Power is among the four bidders that have qualified for opening of initial prices bids of the Eastern Region Expansion Scheme – XXXIX (ERES-XXXIX).
Bid process coordinator REC Power Development & Consultancy Ltd (RECPDCL) has qualified four bidders – Tata Power, Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd (PGCIL), Sterlite Power and Adani Energy Solutions Ltd (AESL) – under the tariff-based competitive bidding (TBCB) mechanism for an interstate transmission system (ISTS) scheme formally known as “Eastern Region Expansion Scheme – XXXIX”
These four bidders, qualified on the basis of their technical bids, are now eligible for opening of initial price bids, after which the process of e-reverse auction (e-RA) will kick in. The winning bidder will be selected based on the final price bids emerging at the end of the e-RA routine.
This ISTS scheme is housed under a project SPV “ERES-XXXIX Power Transmission Ltd” that is currently a wholly-owned subsidiary of RECPDCL.
By current timelines, RECPDCL expects to select the successful bidder by October 16, 2024 and the formal transfer of the project SPV to the selected bidder is likely by October 28, 2024.
Expected to cost nearly Rs.2,900 crore, this ISTS scheme taking shape in Odisha is scheduled for completion by June 30, 2026.
Part an overall plan to expand the eastern region (ER) grid, ERES-XXXIX involves setting up of a new 765/400kV, 2×1500 MVA GIS substation at Gopalpur in Odisha. This substation will be connected to the existing 765/400kV Angul substation of PGCIL through a 765kV double-circuit line. The new substation will also have connectivity to OPTCL’s under-implementation 400/220kV GIS substation through a 400kV double-circuit (quad) line. OPTCL (Odisha Power Transmission Corporation Ltd) is the state transmission utility of Odisha.
Tata Power in Odisha
Tata Power, a contender for ERES-XXXIX, has already won a related ISTS-TBCB scheme “Eastern Region Expansion Scheme – XXXIV (ERES-XXXIV)” also taking shape in Odisha.
Incidentally, ERES-XXXIV also involves the 765/400kV Angul substation of PGCIL. Under this scheme, a new 765/400kV, 2×1500 MVA GIS substation would be built at Paradeep, and this would be connected to the Angul substation through a 765kV double-circuit line. Connectivity of the new Paradeep GIS substation would also be established with the under-implementation 400/220kV Paradeep substation of OPTCL.
It is interesting to note that the same four bidders, as now seen in ERES-XXXIX, were in the race for ERES-XXXIV before Tata Power clinched the project.
It may be mentioned that the project SPV corresponding to ERES-XXXIV — Paradeep Transmission Ltd — was not yet formally transferred to Tata Power by PFC Consulting Ltd, the bid process coordinator for ERES-XXXIV, as of October 4, 2024.
Schemes in “selection” stage
According to information available with T&D India, there are currently at least four other ISTS-TBCB schemes for which bidders have been shortlisted for submission of initial price bids. The broad details are as follows:
Project SPV: Shongtong Power Transmission Ltd
BPC: RECPDCL
Bidders in fray: PGCIL, AESL and Sterlite Power
Project SPV: Khavda V-A Power Transmission Ltd
BPC: RECPDCL
Bidders in fray: PGCIL, AESL and Sterlite Power
Project SPV: Jamnagar Transmission Ltd
BPC: PFCCL
Bidders in fray: PGCIL, AESL, Sterlite Power and Reliance Industries (AESL has been named L1 according to unconfirmed sources.)
Project SPV: Navinal Transmission Ltd
BPC: PFCCL
Bidders in fray: PGCIL, AESL and Sterlite Power
Featured photograph is for representation only
