SECI invites EoI to purchase power for blending with renewable sources

KOLKATA: Solar Energy Corporation of India Ltd (SECI) intends to blend inherently unsteady renewable power with power from steady generation sources including coal-fired thermal plants.

“The objective of blending is to make firm power available round the clock in order to meet the requirements of various distribution companies, commercial and industrial consumers,” SECI said in an expression of interest (EoI) invited from generators of hydro, pumped storage, gas, battery storage, and thermal generation sources including captive power plants.

Blending, according to SECI’s EoI document, would allow it to provide round the clock supply to consumers to meet their baseload and enhance renewable penetration at DISCOM and other consumers. It is also expected to cater to the requirements of consumers by providing them round the clock firm power by blending RE power with the power from hydro, gas, pumped storage, thermal sources of energy.

It will also allow commercial and industrial consumers who have captive plants to meet their renewable power purchase obligation through the purchase of renewable power through long or medium-term open access.

SECI may sign power purchase agreements with generators, the validity of which may vary from one to 25 years as per consumer requirements and shall be for those blocks in a day where renewable power falls short in meeting the conditions of round the clock firm power.