Indian Oil Corporation has extended by another two weeks the deadline for the submission of bids for the state-owned oil marketing company's first green hydrogen plant to be built in Panipat, a company official has told Moneycontrol.
The bidding process began on April 15 and the bids were to be opened on April 23 but now the date has been pushed to May 7 after prospective bidders requested more time to conclude partnerships, in line with the revised tender norms, the official said.
"Many of them (bidders) are yet to meet the specifications of the tender and they need to form JVs, with multiple entities coming together. They had already started the procedure but could not conclude, hence the timeline has been extended upon their request," the official said, requesting anonymity.
A revised tender was issued in March after the first one was quashed over accusation that the norms were tailored for a joint venture that included Indian Oil Corporation.
Several revisions were made in the new tender, including a stipulation that a consortium or joint venture must have a maximum of three members, with each having a minimum 26 percent stake. The previous tender didn't have the minimum stake requirement.
IOCL did not immediately respond to a request for a comments from Moneycontrol.
The state-owned company cancelled the tender in February after a group of renewable energy firms moved court amid allegations that the nation's largest fuel retailer had "tailored" norms favouring a joint venture that included IOCL.
IOCL had in August 2023 initiated the process to set up its first green hydrogen plant in Panipat, with a capacity of 10,000 kilo tonne per annum (KTA). Once completed, it will be the largest green hydrogen plant in the country.
At 12.43 pm, the IOCL stock was trading at Rs 169.90 on the National Stock Exchange, up 1.07 percent from the previous close.
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