Sitra's big power project: Two in the race

TDT | Manama

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A field of international developers has narrowed to just two bidders for Bahrain's major Sitra power-and-water project, with Saudi Arabia's ACWA Power and Abu Dhabi's TAQA now competing to build a facility capable of generating up to 1,500MW and producing 5,682 cubic metres of desalinated water an hour.

The Sitra Independent Water and Power Project is being developed by the Electricity and Water Authority (EWA) under a build-own-operate (BOO) model. The project will combine a power facility with a seawater reverse-osmosis desalination plant.

ACWA Power submitted a bid showing BD0.001, with the Tender Board noting that the full price details were contained in accompanying documents. Abu Dhabi National Energy Company, or TAQA, submitted a bid valued at BD47,518,263. Both bids were accepted for evaluation.

The Tender Board said the proposals will undergo technical and financial assessment. Price will be the principal criterion once technical and other requirements are met, meaning the lowest figure at bid opening does not automatically determine the winner.

The project is designed to provide 1,400MW to 1,500MW of guaranteed net power capacity, while the desalination facility will produce 5,682 cubic metres of water per hour.

Under the BOO arrangement, the successful developer will finance, design, build, own, operate and maintain the facilities, supplying electricity and desalinated water to Bahrain's networks.

The Electricity and Water Authority said last summer that seven international developers and groups had passed the prequalification stage for independent power and water projects.

They were TAQA, ACWA Power, Gulf Investment Corporation, Japan's JERA, Korea Electric Power Corporation, Sumitomo Corporation and a Chinese consortium made up of CMEC and China Datang Overseas Hong Kong.