The four selected contractors are now forming a consortium, which will then be awarded the contract to build the 650-700-MW, 70 million-gallon-a-day plant (MEED 14:2:03; 1:11:02).

The selected contractors are:

a Japanese group headed by Toshiba Corporationand supported by Mitsubishi Corporation, for the power island

Italy's Fisia Italimpianti, for the desalination works

Paris-based Alstom T&D, for the 400-kV substation package

the local Emirates Trading Agency (ETA), for the 400-kV transmission package.

The consortium will be headed by the EPC power island contractor, Toshiba. Sixteen companies submitted bids last October for the various contract packages onstation. Of the bidders, two Korean contractors submitted turnkey quotes for the entire project. In the past, DEWA has opted to award just one contract for its major power and desalination projects.

The estimated $750 millionstation will be located to the south of the G plant. The plant's commissioning is scheduled to take place in the first half of 2005. At a later date, a second-phase expansion is planned which will see capacity doubled.

Germany's Lahmeyer Internationalis the consultant for the first phase.