13th deadline for Surguja UMPP; last date for bids October 30

NEW DELHI: Three years after the invitation of initial bids for the proposed 4,000 MW ultra mega power project at Surguja in Chhattisgarh, the deadline for the submission of proposals has again been extended, for the 13th time, to October 30, this year.

Chhattisgarh Surguja Power Ltd (CSPL) had petitioned the power sector regulator CERC (Central Electricity Regulatory Commission) seeking approval for further extension of time to complete the bid process of the project.

The project will be awarded to the lowest bidder after completion of the process.

CERC in its order has said that the RFQ (request for qualification) for the project was issued on March 15, 2010 and the last date of submission of RFQs was extended by 13 times on each occasion by 2-3 months on the advice of Power Ministry due to "forest related issues" concerning the coal blocks allotted to the plant.

The Commission said the last date of submission of RFQ for the Surguja thermal plant will be extended to October 30, 2013 and that the entire bidding process should be completed by September 30, 2014.

CSPL in its petition (to CERC) said that the time limit provided in the guidelines had expired on March 14, 2012.

Power Finance Corporation (PFC) is the nodal agency for the implementation of ultra mega power projects (UMPPs) -- thermal plants of at least 4,000 MW capacity -- in the country.

CSPL is the wholly-owned subsidiary of PFC and is also the representative of the procurers of electricity -- Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Goa, Daman & Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli -- from the project.

The government has so far allotted four UMPPs. Three such projects have been bagged by Reliance Power and one by Tata Power.

Reliance Power is executing Sasan (Madhya Pradesh), Krishnapatnam ( Andhra Pradesh) and Tilaiya ( Jharkhand) UMPPs.

Tata Power has commissioned the 4,000 MW UMPP at Mundra in Gujarat.

Power Ministry which proposes to add 88,000 MW of electricity generation capacity by March 2017 is hopeful of achieving the target mainly on the back of these projects.