NATIONAL SOLAR MISSION

1000 MW CAPACITY GRID-CONNECTED SOLAR POWER PROJECTS IMPLEMENTED THROUGH NTPC VIDYUT VYAPAR NIGAM LIMITED (NVVN) UNDER NATIONAL SOLAR MISSION (NSM) PHASE-I:

This scheme covered large solar power plants of total 1,000 MW capacity connected to grid at 33 kV and above – 500 MW capacity each based on Solar Thermal (ST) and Solar Photovoltaic (SPV) technologies. It included three stages: (i) Migration Scheme (ii) NSM Phase-I, Batch-I and (iii) NSM Phase-I, Batch-II.

 MIGRATION SCHEME

With a view to facilitate quick start-up to NSM and also speedier implementation of the then on-going projects under advanced stage of implementation in different States, this scheme was introduced in Feb 2010 to allow the migration of such projects to NSM. A total of 16 projects of 84 MW capacity (54 MW SPV and 30 MW ST) were approved under this scheme for long-term procurement of power by NVVN at Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) notified tariff for 2010-11 viz. Rs.17.91/unit for SPV and Rs.15.31/unit for ST. Eleven SPV projects of 48 MW capacity were commissioned under this scheme.

NSM PHASE-I, BATCH-I & BATCH-II

• Under NSM Batch-I and Batch-II of NSM, solar power projects were allotted through a process of reverse bidding. Bids for same were invited in two batches: Batch-I of 150 MW SPV and 470 MW ST in Aug 2010 and Batch-II of 350 MW SPV in Aug 2011.
• In Batch-I the eligible project capacities were 5 MW for SPV and upto 100 MW for ST. 28 SPV Projects with an aggregate capacity of 140 MW and 7 ST Projects with an aggregate capacity of 470 MW were allotted. The bid tariffs for SPV projects were in the range of Rs.10.95-12.76 per unit, with average of Rs.12.12 per unit and for ST projects in the range of Rs.10.49-12.24 per unit, with average of Rs.11.48 per unit. 28 SPV projects of aggregate 140 MW capacity and 3 ST projects of aggregate 200 MW capacity have been commissioned under NSM Phase-I, Batch-I.
• In Batch-II for SPV, the project capacity fixed was 5-20 MW. 27 SPV projects with an aggregate capacity of 340 MW were allotted at tariff ranging between Rs.7.49-9.44 per unit, with average of Rs.8.77 per unit. 26 SPV projects of aggregate 330 MW capacity have been commissioned under NSM Phase-I, Batch-II.
• A 5 MW SPV project by Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor Development Corporation Limited (DMICDC) and a 10 MW SPV project by Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) has also been set up under the MNRE bundling scheme of NSM Phase-I.
• Thus, under NSM Phase-I, 533 MW solar PV projects and 200 MW solar thermal power projects have been commissioned under the bundling scheme.
• Power generated from the commissioned plants is being purchased by the NVVN and being sold to State Utilities/ Discoms under a mechanism of bundling with power from unallocated quota of power from coal based stations of NTPC on equal capacity basis to effectively reduce the average per unit cost of bundled solar power to the purchasing Utilities. A Payment Security Mechanism involving a revolving fund of Rs.486 crore has been put in place to ensure timely payments to developers in the event of delays/ defaults in payments by the purchasing State Utilities to NVVN.