SECI plans 500 MW solar thermal capacity tender by FY25-end: CMD RP Gupta

SECI is expected to float a tender for 500 megawatt (MW) of solar thermal capacity by the end of FY25, according to its Chairman and Managing Director RP Gupta.

This will be the first time in India that such a tender would be floated on this scale, Gupta told reporters on the sidelines of India Energy Storage Week 2024, organised by India Energy Storage Alliance (IESA) on Wednesday.

"The tender is expected to be out by the end of this financial year 2024-25. There have been (solar thermal) tenders but not of this scale," Gupta said in reply to a question on new solar thermal tenders.

The earlier tenders were small in size and their costs were also too high, he said.

The projects under the 500 MW tender will have advanced technology where steam would be generated through heat and it would also help in running turbines, he added.

Besides, the prices will be at par with other Round the Clock (RTC) solutions, Gupta said without elaborating further.

Solar Energy Corporation of India Limited (SECI) is a nodal agency of the central government for auctioning renewable energy projects. RTC projects include solar wind capacity with battery storage.