The hidden costs EPCs leave out of the per-MW quote
The headline price is not the project cost. Here’s what gets added later.
A “₹3.5 crore per MW” quote sounds complete — until the invoices for everything it excluded start arriving. EPCs compete on the headline number, so the safest way to win a bid is to quietly leave costs out of scope. Here is what owners routinely get billed for after signing.
Power evacuation — often the biggest surprise
The transmission line from your plant to the substation, the bay extension at the substation, and GETCO connectivity charges are frequently excluded. A line can run ₹20–27 lakh per km, and at a few km that is a material number nowhere in the headline quote.
Land development & statutory costs
Land levelling, boundary, internal roads, water and the NA-conversion premium, GEDA/registration fees, bank guarantees and Interest During Construction (IDC) are usually the owner’s scope — not the EPC’s.
GST and the DCR premium
Confirm whether the quote is inclusive of GST, and whether it assumes cheaper non-DCR modules. If your scheme mandates domestic (DCR) modules, that alone can add roughly ₹0.8–1.0 crore per MW — and ALMM List-II for cells applies from June 2026.