Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) has invited bids for a 2 MWp floating solar project, the biggest one of its kind in India to date, with August 9, 2017 as the closing date for online submission.

The project will be realized as part of the Smart Cities Mission, the Indian government’s urban renewal and retrofitting project comprising 100 cities across the country.

As specified in the official document, GVMC is expecting from the successful bidder to be in charge of the supply, erection, testing and commissioning of the plant, as well as to provide operation and maintenance services for a period of five years.

The eligibility criteria specify that the bidder should have successfully executed grid-connected turnkey solar projects with an aggregate capacity of at least 2 MWp at a single and multiple locations, running successfully for a minimum period of one year.

Further eligibility criteria that the bidder should fulfill refer to its financial standing, such as that the bidder should have an average annual turnover of INR. 7 Crore. (around $1 million) for at least three fiscal years, be in profit for the last two years, as well as have access to a line of credit and availability from other financial resources facilities for INR. 4 Crore.

In India, which stands out as one of the world’s solar superpowers with an ambitious plan of adding 100 GW by 2022, floating solar PV projects are still in the fledging stage, lagging in size behind those of other Asian countries, such as Vietnam (500 MW), South Korea (280 MW) and China (70 MW).

The construction works and commissioning of the plant are expected to be completed within six months.