Solar power tariff sees a new low of ₹1.99/kWh

The solar power tariff continues to find a new all-time low level of ₹1.99 per kWh bid in the recent Gujarat auction. This comes within a month of SECI tender in Rajasthan auction wherein a tariff of ₹2 per kWh was quoted.

The recent auction by the Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam Limited for 500 MW witnessed a bidder quoting ₹1.99 per kWh, according to Mercom.

According to a report by Mercom, NTPC made an offer of ₹1.99 per kWh for 200 MW, Torrent Power Limited for 100 MW, Al Jomaiah Energy and Water Company Limited for 80 MW, and Aditya Birla Renewables for 120 MW, are among others.

While experts feel that such low tariffs are not sustainable in the long run, Union Energy Minister Raj Kumar Singh has hinted that the country’s solar power tariffs could go down further.

India Ratings in its latest report on the solar tariffs, attributed the drop to structural factors. It maintained that the continuous decline in solar power tariffs since the start of FY21 has been driven by a mix of structural and State-specific factors, with the former likely to sustain over the medium term. During FY21, solar power tariffs declined to ₹2.36/kWh in June-July 2020 and later to ₹2.0/kWh in November 2020, and now to ₹1.99/kWh.