GAIL Floats EPC Tender for 17.5 MW Floating Solar Plant

GAIL (India) Limited has invited bids for the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) of a 17.5 MW (AC) grid-connected floating solar photovoltaic (PV) plant at its petrochemical complex in Pata, Auraiya district, Uttar Pradesh. The tender underscores GAIL’s continued push into renewable energy infrastructure, following its October 2024 tender for a 7.75 MW floating solar project in Vijaipur, Madhya Pradesh.

Project Scope

The selected contractor will be responsible for delivering the project on a lump sum turnkey (LSTK) basis, covering:

Design, supply, construction, erection, testing, and commissioning of the floating solar PV plant.
Development of the power evacuation system for grid connectivity.
Three years of comprehensive operation and maintenance (O&M) post-commissioning.
Ten years of annual maintenance contract (AMC) for critical plant equipment.
The project aims to leverage the site’s available water bodies to reduce land usage and improve system efficiency through better module cooling.

Tender Details and Timeline

Tender Reference Number: GAIL/NOIDA/CnP/PROJ/SOL/25-31
Tender ID: 2025_GAIL_243442_1
Issue Date: August 4, 2025
Bid Document Availability: August 4–19, 2025 (till 14:00 hrs IST)
Bid Submission Deadline: August 19, 2025
Pre-Bid Meeting: August 8, 2025 at 11:00 AM (via Microsoft Teams)
Site Visit: August 7, 2025 at 10:00 AM
Unpriced Bid Opening: August 20, 2025 at 15:00 hrs IST (via Microsoft Teams)

Eligibility Criteria

Bidders must qualify under ‘Make in India’ procurement guidelines, with preference given to Class-I suppliers. The eligibility includes:

Technical: Experience in executing EPC for floating solar PV plants—either one project of ≥14 MW, two of ≥8.75 MW each, or three of ≥7 MW each in the last 7 years. Ground-mounted solar projects of similar capacity plus at least one floating solar project of ≥2 MW are also acceptable.

Financial:

Minimum Average Annual Turnover: ₹4.31 crore
Positive net worth
Minimum Working Capital: ₹8.6 crore or equivalent line of credit

Bid Submission Process

The tender will follow a two-bid system (Techno-Commercial and Price Bid) and submissions are to be made through GAIL’s e-tender portal, as well as national procurement platforms (CPPP, GePNIC, GeM).

EMD and Document Submission

An Earnest Money Deposit (EMD) of ₹77.52 lakh is mandatory for all bidders, with no exemptions for Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs). Original EMD documents and other physical submissions must be received within seven days of the bid submission deadline.

Consultants and Contact

The project’s consultant is BHEL – Solar Business Division, Bengaluru. For queries, bidders can contact Mr. Sandip Sundar Sahoo, Manager (C&P – Projects), GAIL (India) Limited, Noida.

This tender is part of GAIL’s larger renewable strategy, which also includes ongoing floating solar projects across multiple states. By expanding its clean energy portfolio, GAIL aims to align with India’s National Solar Mission and meet corporate sustainability goals while optimizing its existing infrastructure for renewable power generation.