Nodal agency Solar Energy Corporation of India has completed the auction of 2 GW of ISTS-connected wind projects under the third round of auction. The lowest tariff quoted by developers was Rs.2.44 per kwh, which is Rs.0.20 per kwh lower than the tariff seen in the second round.
SECI’s very first round of auction for wind projects took place in February 2017 when 1 GW of capacity was offered to developers at an average tariff of Rs.3.46 per kwh. This was followed by another 1 GW of capacity in October 2017 with tariffs falling to Rs.2.64 per kwh.
The tariff of Rs.2.44 per kwh quoted in the third auction by SECI is just Re.0.01 per kwh lower than the all-time low wind tariff of Rs.2.43 per kwh.
The latest round of auction saw winners like ReNew Power Ventures (400 mw); Green Infra Wind Energy (300 mw), Inox Wind (200 mw) and Torrent Power (499.8 mw). All these developers quoted Rs.2.44 per kwh. Three other developers quoted Rs.2.45 per kwh. These are Adani Green Energy (250 mw), Alfanar Company (300 mw) and Betam (50.2 mw).
Another round of wind auction by SECI is scheduled in the coming months, when 2 GW of wind power capacity will be put on the block. The government has planned wind auctions of 10 GW each in FY19 and FY20.
All-time low
The all-time low wind tariff ever recorded in India is Rs.2.43 per kwh seen during the 500-mw auction by state nodal agency Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam Ltd (GUVNL) in December 2017. Sprng Energy Pvt Ltd quoted Rs.2.43 per kwh for 197.5 mw of the 500 mw worth of capacity under auction. Another company KP Energy Ltd also quoted the same tariff but for a smaller capacity of 30 mw.
The GUVNL auction is incidentally the first wind energy auction conducted by any state, using the tariff-based competitive bidding.
Target for 2022
The government has set a wind energy target of 60 GW by 2022. This forms 34 per cent of the total target of 175 GW for the renewable energy sector as a whole. Solar energy dominates with a target of 100 GW. The current installed wind energy capacity in India is around 36 GW while it is 16 GW in the case of solar.
Inox order book
In a company release, Inox Wind said that the 200 mw won under the SECI-3 auction has taken the company’s auction-based order book to 800 mw. Inox wind would be developing the SECI-3 project in the Kutch region in Gujarat. The project would be executed over the next 12-15 months. Inox Wind will supply, erect and commission its advanced 2-mw turbines and will be responsible for the development, construction, commissioning and long term operations and maintenance services for the project.
Inox Wind also observed that its order book relating to the SECI-3 auction would be higher if other developers select Inox Wind as the wind turbine-generator supplier for their projects.
Also See:
Wind tariffs fall further in second SECI auction
