The Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) has invited companies to build a 400kV substation and 400kV overhead line (OHL) at its Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Solar Park in Dubai.

Contractors have until 26 May to submit prices for the contract.

In November, Dewa received eight bids from seven companies for the contract to provide engineering consultancy services for the construction of the substation and OHL.

The lowest bid of AED12.9m ($3.5m) came from the UK’s Mott MacDonald, which submitted two separate bids for the tender. Serbia’s Energoprojekt submitted the second-lowest price of AED16.5m. This was followed by Mott MacDonald’s second price of AED17.5m. Electricite de France (EDF) submitted the fourth-lowest price of AED18.3m, which was followed by AED19.5m from Belgium’s Tractebel Engineering.

The 13MW first phase of the Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Solar Park began commercial operation in October 2013 and is one of the largest operating photovoltaic (PV) solar plants in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region. The first phase will generate 24 million kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity a year, and is powered by 152,880 photocell PV modules, connected to 13 step-up transformers. US-based First Solar was awarded the estimated AED124m ($33.8m) contract to build the first phase of the park in October 2012.

Dewa has invited companies to submit expressions of interest (EoI) in the contract to develop the 100MW second phase of the solar park, which is being procured as an independent power project (IPP).

MEED recently reported that financial and legal advisers for the 100MW second phase of the Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum Solar Park IPP had been appointed. Netherland’s KPMG has been appointed as financial adviser and the UK’s Norton Rose Fulbright has been appointed as legal adviser for the planned solar project, which will utilise photovoltaic (PV) technology. The 100MW solar project is scheduled to be fully operational in 2017.