NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Tuesday stayed the Solar Energy Corporation of India’s (SECI) decision to bar Reliance Power Ltd, part of the Anil Ambani group, from participating in auctions for three years. Earlier this month, SECI had imposed the ban on Reliance Power and its subsidiaries over allegations of submitting a fake bank guarantee to support its bid for a recent battery storage tender. However, Reliance Power has denied the accusations, claiming it was a victim of fraud and forgery.
“High Court of Delhi in its hearing held today has granted stay on notice of debarment and public notice issued by SECI against the Company including all its subsidiaries except Reliance NU BESS Limited (formerly known as Maharashtra Energy Generation Limited),” said Reliance Power in an exchange filing on Tuesday.
SECI, a body under the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), had earlier issued a notice barring all Reliance Power subsidiaries from participating in its tenders. In June, SECI issued a Request for Selection (RfS) for bids related to 1 GW of solar power and 2 GW of standalone battery storage. Reliance Power, through its subsidiary Maharashtra Energy Generation Limited, was one of the successful bidders, quoting one of the lowest rates for battery storage—Rs 3.81 per unit. The other winning bid came from JSW Energy.
According to SECI's notice, a review of the documents submitted by Maharashtra Energy Generation Limited (now Reliance NU BESS Limited) revealed that the bank guarantee submitted by the bidder—issued by a foreign bank—was found to be fake, in violation of the tender requirements. SECI stated that this discrepancy came to light after the e-Reverse Auction, leading the agency to annul the tendering process.
SECI is also in the news due to its connections with the Adani Group, which is currently facing allegations of bribery. The U.S. Department of Justice has charged Gautam Adani, the chairman of the Adani Group, with paying $265 million in bribes to Indian officials in exchange for favourable terms on solar power contracts.