Bids are under evaluation from five companies for the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract on the power island to serve the planned Sohar aluminium smelter. An award is due by the end of September. The five bidders are understood to be France's Alstom, Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction Companyand Hyundai Engineering & Contracting Company, both of South Korea, Germany's Siemens, and Canada's SNC Lavalinwith the US' General Electric. The plant is likely to have capacity of about 600 MW. The UK's Mott MacDonaldis the consultant (MEED 29:4:05).