RTC renewable contract: e-RA compresses firm solar-plus-storage tariffs to Rs 3.12–3.13/kWh
RTC renewable contract tariffs for firm solar-plus-storage have now converged into a razor-thin band, after SECI’s ISTS-XXI e-reverse auction awarded 1200 MW of solar with 600 MW / 3600 MWh ESS.
What makes this RTC renewable contract different is the daily peak obligation: 3 MWh per MW must be discharged during 6:00 pm to 9:00 am. Developers must design, finance, build, own, operate and maintain the assets, while carrying land, ISTS connectivity, evacuation, forecasting, scheduling and deviation settlement exposure. The RfS also allows ESS technology substitution over the PPA term, but performance and cost risk stays with the bidder.
Bid discipline is reinforced by security load. EMD is Rs 15.93 lakh per MW and PBG is Rs 39.82 lakh per MW, with POI and insurance surety bond options permitted. That makes the RTC renewable contract a balance-sheet contest before it is an EPC contest.
Competition was extreme. Against 6150 MW of capacity offered, SECI contracted only 1200 MW, and the final awarded tariffs landed at Rs 3.12–Rs 3.13/kWh. That compression turns the RTC renewable contract into a financing and reliability play: debt tie-ups, degradation assumptions, warranty backstops, and SCSD-linked delay penalties become equity-critical.For the market, the message is blunt: tariff primacy over scale. Bids outside the L1–L4 band were crowded out even if they offered large capacities, within the 600 MW per-bidder cap. For readers following News on renewable energy, this is a new benchmark for Hybrid power projects and Solar power projects, SECI, Solar Storage, Tariff Bidding, ISTS,tracked with verified details on EnergylineIndia.com.
