Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) is expected to float a tender for 500 megawatt (MW) of solar thermal capacity by the end of FY'25, its Chairman and Managing Director R P Gupta said.
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 the India Energy Storage Week 2024, organized by India Energy Storage Alliance (IESA) in New Delhi.
"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.
The IESW 2024 is dedicated to advancing India's adoption of energy storage, e-mobility, green hydrogen, and other clean technologies in alignment with the country's net zero goal.
