Bids are due by 27 July for a maintenance and servicing contract at the Hidd power and desalination complex. The estimated BD 100 million ($263 million) contract covers phases 1-2 of the complex, which will have total capacity of about 1,050 MW.

Six companies are understood to have been prequalified for the work. The Ministry of Electricity & Water is the client. The consultant is Ireland's ESB International, which was also adviser on the 690-MW phase-2 combined cycle expansion, due to begin production in July to coincide with the period of peak summer demand.

Applications for prequalification closed on 12 June for the phase-3 expansion contract at Hidd, which calls for the addition of 60 million gallons a day of desalination capacity at the plant.

The next addition to generation capacity will come from the kingdom's first independent power project (IPP), to be built on reclaimed land near the existing Hidd complex. Proposals from five developers were opened on 23 June for the Al-Ezzal IPP, and the consortium led by Belgium's Tractebeland Kuwait's Gulf Investment Corporationwas named as preferred bidder. The project calls for 370-470 MW of capacity by mid-2006(MEED 4:6:04).