Introduction: With climate change being a global threat, countries around the world are embracing renewable energy. As there is a huge demand for energy in a heavily populated country as India, the green options for energy generation are constantly evaluated. Also, in the recent years, many Indian cities are ranked at the top in the most polluted cities. The government in India is therefore investing heavily in adoption of green technologies such as Hydro power, winde energy and solar energy.. Specifically, hydroelectricity is a powerful option for a country like India with an abundance of rivers. India has a total of 400 rivers, many of which could be used for generation of hydro power. During the last year, a total of 1,542 tenders were published by various agencies in India for purchasing various hydropower equipment and projects. In this article, the hydro power plant tenders purchased by the government agencies in India during the last year are analyzed.
Annual Analytics: The annual analytics of tender data involves examining patterns and trends in the procurement practices of various states and government organisations. It includes examining factors like number of tenders issued, industries involved, the distribution of locations, and the amount of contracts awarded in a given period of time. In the year 2023, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir released many hydroelectric power plant tenders. In terms of agencies, SJVN Limited of Himachal Pradesh, HPSEBL of Himachal Pradesh and Director (UREDA) of Uttarakhand have issued 16, 14 and 11 tenders respectively making them the top contenders while Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited of Gujarat and NHPC Limited of Bihar are just slightly behind having issued 9 and 8 tenders respectively. Some other notable agencies which are closely behind are the West Bengal State Electricity Distribution Company Limited and North Eastern Electric Power Corporation Limited of Assam with tender counts of 7 each. Among all the states of India, Himachal Pradesh issued the highest number of tenders i.e., 30, followed by Madhya Pradesh with 20 and Jammu and Kashmir with 18 tenders.
Operation and Maintenance of Hydropower Plants: A total of 54 tenders were advertised for the operation and maintenance of the existing hydropower plants. Many different aspects of the hydropower plants were maintained. For example, the department of power in Punjab advertised a tender for Preventive and Breakdown Maintenance and Repair of all HT and LT MOTORS and their respective CABLES of 4X210 MW BHEL make units 3 4 5 and 6 including Coal Handling Plant Micro Hydel Project at GGSSTP. The Damodar Valley Corporation published a tender for maintenance of electrical, mechanical and instrument work of Maithon Hydel Power House. The Punjab Energy Development Agency (PEDA) issued three notable tenders: Two for the maintenance and operation of hydropower projects on Bathinda Branch Canal and one for the operation and maintenance of four smaller hydropower projects on Abohar Branch Canal, which will be leased out. Many other components of the hydropower plants were repaired like for example the guide vanes, turbine and switch yard. The West Bengal State Electricity Distribution Co. Ltd (WBSEDCL) for example issued a tender for Annual Operation and Maintenance contract of 1 1200kW T.G. Sets, their auxiliaries, electro mechanical equipment and 3.3 11 33 KV switchyard including cleaning upkeeping of power house fenced area of Fazi Hydel Power Station, WBSEDCL, Kurseong with the estimated cost of 60.45 Lakhs..
New Hydro power plant tenders: Many tenders were published for setting up new hydro power plants. The NHPC limited for example published a tender for Turnkey execution of 1856 MW Sawalkot Hydro Electric Project located at Ramban /Udhampur district in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, India. The cost of the new plant establishment is far higher than that of the maintenance contracts. The Sawalkot Hydro power plant is estimated at 12190.5 Crores. In a few cases, specialized consulting firms were hired to aid the government in selection of hydropower plant implementing agency. The Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Limited advertised a tender for Providing Project Management Consultancy (PMC) Services for EPC Contract of Small Hydro Power Project at Garudeshwar Weir of Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Limited in Gujarat. This tender had an estimate value of INR 1.95 Crores. The construction of smaller hydropower plants costed less at around 6 Crores. For example, THDC India limited in Uttarakhand published a tender Design, Engineering, Manufacturing, Erection and Commissioning and Customization of (2X 50KW) Hydro Kinetic Turbines in the Natural Down Stream of Koteshwar Hydro Power Plant, with an estimate value of INR 5.11 Crores. The cost of construction significant components of a large hydro power plant has a high estimate value at around 100 Crores. For example, the Directorate of Municipal Administration in Maharashtra sought to commission a gravity main with allied work along with integration of 1 MW Hydro power plant under Kas WSS, with an estimate value of INR 86 Crores.
Live Tender Analysis: As on the 29th of March 2024, there were 11 live tenders for Hydropower plant. Of this, 3 were published in Bihar, followed by 2 each in Gujarat and Rajasthan respectively. There was 1 live tender in each of the following other States: Assam, Madhya Pradesh, Tripura and West Bengal.
Conclusion: In conclusion, from the 2023 hydro power plant tender data analysis, it can be said that hydro power plant are being utilised to meet the energy needs of the country in a sustainable way. Many states like Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir etc have played an important role in hydro power plant fields. Most of the tenders published by the government agencies are for operation and maintenance of existing hydropower plants. Depending on the size of the hydro power plant, the estimate value of the contracts varied from lakhs of rupees to a few crores. The large hydro power plant turnkey contracts are in excess of 1000 crores as well. The agencies working in establishment and maintenance of hydropower plants will do well to keep track of these opportunities and participate in them.