Solar Tenders Worth Over $330 Million Gone In 40 Seconds!
Times of India has reported from Bangalore that an e-tendering process for solar power projects organized by the State Government of Karnataka was completed within 40 seconds. The news is particularly important because at stake were tenders for 300 MW of solar projects (announced under the state policy this year) worth over $330 million!
Needless to say, the process drew a lot of mixed reactions. Several participants who could not apply alleged the process to be rigged. Mr. D K Shivakumar, Power Minister of the Karnataka, however, dismissed the notion, calling it a case of sour grapes. Over 9800 people tried to apply for the process of which only up to 600 applications were accepted. It is not immediately clear why the number of applications were limited in the first place. As per comments and discussions on several forums, parties who could not apply are mulling to move courts to call for a re-tendering process.
News from elsewhere suggests that the sun has been shining on India even during the monsoon season! CMIE (Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy) recently reported that over $10 billion worth of solar projects were announced in India during September. This constitutes over 60% of the projects announced in the electricity generation sector during this period.
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