The E&Y-led group was one of four consultancy teams shortlisted for the mandate. The other shortlisted bidders were BNP Paribas, with Germany's Fichtnerand Norton Rose; PricewaterhouseCoopers, with HSBCand Clifford Chance; and McKinsey & Company (MEED 23:5:03).

A proximity meeting between the selected consultancy team and the newly formed Electricity & Water Sector Privatisation Committee is scheduled before the end of June. The team will carry out a full review of the sector covering options for liberalisation, the development of a national plan, sector law and the establishment of an independent regulator. The mandate also includes a review of financing options for future projects.

Bahrain's present installed electrical generating capacity stands at 1,810 MW, with peak load demand of 1,550 MW during the summer. Water demand peaks at 88 million gallons a day (g/d), of which 68 million g/d is provided through desalination. The Ministry of Electricity & Water estimates it will need to provide an additional 1,000 MW of generating capacity to meet demand over the next 10 years (see pages 18-19).