VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT

The Government of Mongolia has received a loan from the ordinary capital resources of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), a grant from Japan Fund for Joint Crediting Mechanism and a grant from Strategic Climate Fund toward the cost of Upscaling Renewable Energy Sector Project (UREP) in 2019.  The Upscaling Renewable Sector Project is aimed to increase the clean sources of energy supply in the country and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and need for imported electricity. For more information about the project please visit the link below.

https://www.adb.org/projects/50088-002/main

 

Consultant for Feasibility Study of a Solar PV Plant (National, 4 Person-Months, Continuous)

 

The purpose of this assignment is to conduct detailed feasibility study (a project appraisal report) on a solar photovoltaic (PV) plant that is technically and financially viable as well as economically efficient for the Government of Mongolia. A national consultant will be engaged to prepare the feasibility study. The objective of the assignment is to assess the technical and financial viability as well as economic efficiency of a solar PV plant which will be financed under the UREP (Loan 3708-MON and Grant-0611-MON) and operated by the regional utility company (the Western Energy System or the Altai-Uliastai Energy System) which is the project beneficiary.

 

Detailed tasks and/or expected output.

 

The Consultant's responsibilities and duties will consist of, but are not necessarily limited to, the following for each study in each of the respective countries and sectors:

Task 1:Project Inception and implementation planning: This task will include the following key activities: Within 1-3 weeks of the contract signing, the Consultant shall carry out an Inception in coordination with the PMU. The objective of this mission should be to explain and refine the proposed methodology and timeline, identify, and meet the interested stakeholders and gather all the information required to conduct the study.

Task 2:Analysis of existing grid and generation/demand profiles: Based on information gathered during the inception phase, the Consultant will analyze the generation profile, installation method, transformer capacity for transmission and distribution for the proposed facility and the grid stability in the area:

a) Preliminary stability assessment: The Consultant will assess the existing transmission infrastructure to understand (i) Transformer capacity, (ii) the grid ability to absorb intermittent energy and identify necessary upgrades including cost estimate; and (iii) optimal installed capacity of solar PV including cost estimates.

b) Optimal RE + BESS capacity: The Consultant shall define an optimal capacity for a RE (+BESS) plant to be installed in the respective facilities. This definition will take into consideration a techno-economic analysis to minimize electricity cost while maximizing the adaptation to the required profile (if any) and connection capacity.

Task 3: Renewable energy resource assessment:The Consultant shall provide a high-resolution assessment of the solar and wind resources for RE generation in the projects, focusing on the specific area proposed for the facility. For solar resources, the assessment should utilize a minimum of ten (10) years of Global Horizontal Irradiance (GHI) data derived from satellite data with adequate resolution and auxiliary atmospheric data sets. The influence of topography on solar irradiation at the surface is to be analyzed using a digital elevation model to derive slope and azimuth maps. Moreover, the methodology applied (e.g., satellites use to retrieve data, models) as well as the related accuracy and distribution statistics must be clearly described.

Task 4:Economic and Financial Analysis:The consultant shall conduct a comparative financial analysis – leveled cost per kWh of energy delivery basis as well as 20-year life cycle cost - of the RE installation together with the needed structure to install the PV panels in the ground compared to existing supply cost. The financial analysis should include the analysis of the payback period, Net Present Value (NPV) and Internal Rate of Return (IRR) of the renewable energy investment. This analysis should also reflect the cost of connection to the grid and its maintenance costs. The analysis shall also estimate the proposed annual energy tariff. The financial analysis should analyze the RE installation (possibly several options if the circumstances require) with and without BESS.

Task 5: Risk Analysis and Mitigation Plan:The consultant shall identify all major risks associated with the grid-connected RE related to design, procurement and operations and indicate in each case the extent of all principal risks and how and to what extent they are being mitigated via the project design developed in the feasibility study via specific features of the project design, specifications and associated capacity building and service and maintenance services contract. Risks include but are not limited to:

1. site climate and Environmental factors including as appropriate weather related phenomenon such as cyclones, flood, earthquakes;
2. volatility in solar PV module prices and impact on project cost estimate and likely bidder pricing;
3. risk of delay in supply of invertors and PV panels, construction risk; technology performance risks; operations and maintenance risks such as soil brackishness and conductivity at the power station site and effects on panel array support structure/footings;
4. capacity of recipient institution personnel given a new technology for plant operations;
5. sourcing time for key components that need replacement periodically.
6. Increased risk of flooding and heavy rain occurrences which could have a direct impact on the project equipment installed on-site. The above risks need to be accounted for in the Risk Analysis and Mitigation Plan.

Task 6: Environmental Benefits: The consultant shall estimate the annual carbon reduction benefits attributable to the RE station operations for each of the facilities. 

Task 7: Post-installation maintenance requirements and 1-year operational support program:The consultant shall determine and scope and specify the key elements of operation and maintenance (O&M) services that would need to be provided by the Engineering Procurement Construction (EPC) contractor to manage technology performance and related operational risks; while the recipient institution gains experience in O&M and builds its capacity to initiate and manage future such investments and operations. In this task, the consultant shall delineate in detail the scope of the O&M services for the one-year period following plant installation to ensure efficient and reliable operational performance of the solar installation according to design standards and expectations. An output of this task shall be a clear delineation of the respective responsibilities and accountabilities of the recipient institution and the EPC contractor.

Task 8:Feasibility studies for grid connected RE (+BESS):Based on the information gathered under Task 2 and the solar resource assessment carried out under Task 3, the Consultant will prepare the feasibility studies assessing potential RE installation (with storage or without). As a minimum, the feasibility study for each modality and suitable site should include:

1. The project site and boundary area and approximated site plan and layout.
2. Regional consumption profile and RE requirement
3. A conceptual design (Front-End Engineering Design) of the solar PV plant, including estimation of installed capacity of RE (and BESS).
4. Simplified cost-benefit analysis for different technological options depending on module type, mounting options (i.e, fixed vs. tracking system for solar PV), and inverter type and storage technology.
5. Preliminary shading analysis report
6. Estimated energy yields for RE technologies (solar PV, solar heating) that are most suitable for the identified sites. The energy yield should include: - An assessment of the inter-annual variation and yield confidence levels. - Consideration of site-specific factors, including soiling or snow, and the cleaning regime. - Shading analysis including near and far shading. - Electrical losses Influence of temperature variances on the efficiency of the plant - Global plant annual efficiency, including BESS - Optimal dispatching strategy
7. The approximate costs for development, construction and operation of the project and predicted savings, based on the available resource data, as well as indicative quotes or comparison with similar projects.
8. Connection requirements and connection agreement requirements (preliminary assessment) and potential barriers to achieve grid connection.
9. Asian Development Bank’s Environmental and Social Safeguard consideration, including requirements for the Environmental and Social Management Plans (ESMP):)
   • for the proposed sub-projects, detailed relevant audits will be carried out by a Feasibility Study Consultant, to evaluate the proposal for solar system installation, estimate energy savings, assess their financial viability, and identify potential Environmental and social impacts that the proposed installation may cause at a regional level.
   • After the audit is completed, the consultant will prepare feasibility studies including cost benefit analysis, sub-project specific ESMP/ESMP Checklist, sub-project specific SEPs, and OHS Plan according to Asian Development Bank Environmental and Social Safeguard Standards (ESS) and relevant national/international regulations and latest best practices.
   • Feasibility study consultants shall be responsible for ensuring that respective provisions of subproject specific ESMPs/ESMP Checklist and OHS Plan are duly incorporated into the EPC contract if the study is feasible for the investment.
   • The feasibility consultant is also responsible for organizing and holding stakeholder engagement meetings (SEPs).
   • The feasibility consultant will be required to retain qualified Environment, Social, and Occupational Health and Safety (ESOHS) staff.
   • Implementation plan, including estimated schedule for Design, Supply and Installation, and O&M
   • Risk Analysis with proposed mitigation measures.

Task 9:Bidding Document Preparation: The consultant shall assist the PMU on preparation of bidding documents, the pre-bid meeting in answering the question raised by bidders, clarifications to questions about the feasibility reports, amendments, updating cost estimates, also assisting the evaluation committee in the debriefing meeting.

Minimum Qualification Requirements:

1. At least 10 years of experience in the fields relevant to the requirements of these terms of reference.
2. Doctor’s degree in engineering of energy fields.
3. Be impartial to and independent from all aspects of the projects and the project beneficiary.
4. Have experience evaluating project viability in the respective sector.
5. Fluency in English and Mongolian.
6. Have experience providing similar services (preparing feasibility studies) for development partners, and ideally ADB funded projects or government programs.

Required documents include:

• Cover letter;
• CV prepared following the ADB format;
• Copies of diploma(s) and certificate(s); and
• Copy of national citizenship ID;
• Reference letters from previous employers
• Any other relevant supporting documents

 

Interested individuals should submit their materials through the ADB Consultant Management System before 11:59 P.M. on April 1, 2024.

 

Please see the link below for more information.

https://selfservice.adb.org/OA_HTML/adb/xxcrs/jsp/ADBCsrnFwd.jsp?sel=197425