The estimated $1,600 million M station, to be built next to the under construction Jebel Alistation phase 2, will have capacity of 2,000 MW and 105 million gallons a day (g/d). For the purpose of tendering, DEWA has issued two packages. The first, the power plant, will comprise gas turbines, heat recovery steam generators, steam turbines and associated works. The second package, desalination, will consist of multi-stage flash units, boilers, seawater pumps, water pipes and associated works.

Interested companies are allowed to bid for one or more packages. In keeping with recent policy, DEWA reserves the right to ask the successful bidders for each package to form a consortium under the leadership of the power island contractor to execute the turnkey project.

For both packages, bids are due on 24 June, while plant commissioning is planned in phases in 2009/10. The consultant on M is Germany's Fichtner.

DEWA is also stepping up activity on the transmission and distribution side. In early, March, it issued a major 132-kV cabling tender to connect a host of 132-KV substations and the 400/132-kV Gardens substation, which is also out to bid. The bid closing date for the cabling work is 3 April.

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