Status as of 11 July 2026: SECI’s official page lists the FDRE-IX tender as open, with online bids due at 18:00 on 20 July 2026, offline submission due 22 July and bid opening on 23 July. Amendment 01 was uploaded on 8 July. These dates remain subject to further official corrigenda, so bidders must verify the live ISN-ETS and SECI records before submission.
Key Tender Facts
| Item | Official or reported detail |
|---|---|
| Tender | SECI-FDRE-IX |
| SECI tender ID | SECI000258 |
| Reference | SECI/C&P/IPP/13/0006/26-27 |
| CPPP ID | 2026_SECI_841613_1 |
| Contracted peak capacity | 1,200 MW |
| Assured peak energy | 4,800 MWh, equal to four hours at contracted capacity |
| Project model | Build-own-operate |
| Grid connection | ISTS-connected |
| Bid range | 50 MW to 600 MW, with group-level cap reported at 600 MW |
| RfS publication | 5 June 2026 |
| Online deadline | 20 July 2026, 18:00, subject to corrigenda |
| PPA term | 25 years, as reported |
What SECI is buying
FDRE-IX is not a simple tender for installed megawatts. SECI is procuring an assured block of renewable energy during a nominated four-hour peak period: 4,800 MWh from 1,200 MW of contracted capacity. The project combines renewable generation with an energy storage system and must connect to the Inter-State Transmission System.
MW measures delivery rate; MWh measures energy over time. A 100 MW contracted block must supply 400 MWh during the four-hour window. Depending on resources, losses, storage efficiency and reliability margin, the developer may need more generation and storage input than contracted MW suggests.
SECI’s official page confirms the identifiers and timetable and lists the PPA, power sale agreement, integrity pact and Amendment 01. Those files, not summaries, govern. The e-reverse-auction label also does not waive technical responsiveness: bidders must satisfy the latest qualification, security, form and document requirements before price competition can determine an award or create any enforceable contractual entitlement.
Commercial design and revenue risk
The BOO structure places development, financing, ownership and operations with the renewable power developer. A long-term PPA can support project finance, but the fixed delivery promise creates obligations that variable solar or wind alone cannot meet reliably. The tariff must recover renewable capacity, storage, transmission up to the delivery point, land, losses, augmentation, O&M and financing while carrying exposure to under-delivery.
The 50 MW minimum and 600 MW maximum reported for individual bids create room for multiple winners while retaining utility-scale economics. Consortium or affiliate structures should use the RfS definitions rather than ordinary corporate-language assumptions.
Price comparison with solar-only auctions would be misleading. An FDRE tariff pays for time-shaped, assured supply and embeds storage cycling, oversizing and delivery risk. A better benchmark is the buyer’s avoided cost during the specified peak window plus the value of reliability and renewable attributes. Even then, the analysis should distinguish contracted availability from physically islanded backup; an ISTS PPA does not automatically keep a factory operating during a local grid outage.
The PPA should be examined for peak-window nomination, scheduling timelines, permitted energy sources, shortfall damages, excess energy, annual availability, force majeure, curtailment and change in law. Lenders will also test payment security, termination compensation and any back-to-back mismatch between the PPA and SECI’s power sale agreement.
Technical architecture behind four-hour supply
The tender is technology-agnostic on renewable generation, while reporting says generation and storage must be co-located. Developers could consider solar, wind or combinations suited to the chosen site and delivery profile. The optimal architecture is a dispatch simulation problem, not a fixed ratio copied from another project.
A bankable model should use multi-year weather data and interval-level dispatch. It must account for storage round-trip efficiency, auxiliary consumption, degradation, state of charge limits, inverter clipping, grid outages and forecast error. Stress cases should include weak solar days, low-wind periods and consecutive adverse days. A design that meets the average day but fails the PPA percentile is not sufficient.
Storage augmentation is particularly important over a 25-year term. Battery usable energy declines with time and cycling. The EPC and long-term service strategy must define initial oversizing, augmentation years, cell replacement, warranty throughput, thermal management and end-of-life handling. It should also specify whether the power conversion system’s MW rating remains available under high ambient temperatures.
Verified qualification points and cautions
Secondary reporting, including PV Tech, states that bids may range from 50 MW to 600 MW and cites minimum net-worth values linked to each technology: ₹9.68 million per MW of solar PV, ₹13.68 million per MW of wind or other renewable generation, and ₹2.4 million per MWh of storage. It also reports a ₹50,000 tender-document fee and processing fee of ₹20,000 per MW capped at ₹2 million, excluding taxes.
These figures should be checked against the latest official RfS and Amendment 01 before reliance. Qualification calculations can depend on the bid configuration, affiliate support, financial year, exchange rates and documentary format. A technically sound concept can still fail as non-responsive if powers of attorney, bank instruments or offline documents do not follow the prescribed forms.
Why FDRE-IX matters to the C&I market
Industrial buyers increasingly want renewable electricity that follows valuable operating hours rather than annual green-energy volume alone. Solar-only PPAs can leave evening demand exposed to grid tariffs and market volatility. Four-hour assured delivery demonstrates a procurement method for converting variable resources into a contracted peak product.
That does not mean every factory needs the FDRE-IX structure. A C&I portfolio may combine rooftop solar, open-access renewable power, utility supply, demand response and behind-the-meter storage. The right mix depends on interval load, tariff design, outage costs and site constraints. Our solar and BESS business-case guide shows why interval modelling matters.
The tender also signals opportunity for EPC firms beyond module installation. Bankable FDRE delivery requires storage integrators, plant-control specialists, forecasting providers, transmission contractors, fire-safety design, long-term O&M and performance analytics. Contract interfaces must be managed carefully: the developer should not accept PPA damages that cannot be passed through to responsible contractors.
C&I buyers comparing firm products should ask whether “firm” means a defined scheduled block, a monthly availability test or uninterrupted physical supply. They should also separate grid-delivered renewable energy from onsite resilience. Our DG versus BESS guide covers the backup distinction, while the solar-wind hybrid comparison explains resource complementarity.
Lessons for buyers and project teams
Start with 15-minute load data and identify hours where grid cost, demand charges or production value are highest. A four-hour block is useful only if it overlaps real priorities.
Model delivered energy under downside weather and degradation. Require common assumptions for losses, augmentation, availability and replacement.
Align contracts. The PPA, EPC contract, battery supply agreement, long-term service agreement and O&M contract should use compatible definitions of availability, capacity and acceptance. Warranty exclusions must not leave an unpriced gap.
Finally, keep a live amendment matrix. SECI had already uploaded Amendment 01 by 8 July. Every commercial model and submission document should be checked again after the final corrigendum cut-off.
FAQ
Is FDRE-IX still open on 11 July 2026?
SECI’s official page lists the online deadline as 20 July 2026 at 18:00. However, bidders must check the official tender page and ISN-ETS for later amendments before acting.
Does 4,800 MWh mean the battery must be 4,800 MWh?
No. It is the assured energy to be delivered during the four-hour peak window across 1,200 MW of contracted capacity. The required storage size depends on the full generation and dispatch design and the binding RfS.
Can a project be built anywhere in India?
Secondary reports say projects may be located anywhere in India, selected at the developer’s risk, while connecting to the specified delivery framework. The latest RfS controls the final rule.
Is this equivalent to backup power for a factory?
No. It is a grid-connected scheduled energy product. Onsite backup requires appropriate local electrical architecture, islanding capability and operating rules.
Why is the tariff likely higher than solar-only power?
The developer must provide time-shaped assured energy and pay for storage, oversizing, losses, augmentation and delivery risk. Comparing only the generation tariff ignores product quality.
Sources
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