New Delhi: State-owned gas utility GAIL India Ltd Friday said it has signed an agreement with Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL) for cooperation in the development of solar power projects. "GAIL shall be the project developer and BHEL shall act as an engineering, procurement, construction and project management contractor," the company said in a statement. BHEL shall also provide operation and maintenance services during the initial period upon becoming successful bidder. "This development will help both the companies to leverage their competitive strengths to build a substantial portfolio in solar power projects. "The memorandum of understanding (signed Friday) aims at building a closer strategic partnership between the two Maharatna PSUs for jointly pursuing commercial solar power projects through participation in tariff / Viability Gap Funding (VGF) based competitive bidding process," it said.