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At least three firms are preparing to submit offers for the 1.2GW Sitra independent water and power plant (IWPP), with bidding due to close on 17 June.

The Sitra IWPP is a combined-cycle gas turbine plant expected to have a generation capacity of about 1,200MW of electricity. The project’s seawater reverse osmosis desalination facility will have a production capacity of 30 million imperial gallons a day (MIGD). 

The build-own-operate project is being procured by Bahrain’s Electricity & Water Authority (EWA) under a public-private partnership framework for 20-25 years.

According to sources, Abu Dhabi National Energy Company (Taqa), Acwa (Saudi Arabia) and Korea Electric Power Corporation (Kepco) are preparing to submit separate offers for the project, which has had several deadline extensions since the tender was released last year.

Bids are scheduled to be opened on 18 June.

Lebanon-headquartered Khatib & Alami was recently awarded a consulting contract for the project, worth $1.91m. This was despite the consultancy submitting only the third-lowest bid behind Spain’s Ayesa ($1.25m) and WSP Middle East Architectural & Engineering ($1.27m).

MEED previously reported that six individual companies had prequalified to bid, including Gulf Investment Corporation (Kuwait), Jera (Japan) and Sumitomo Corporation (Japan).

China Energy Engineering Corporation and China Datang (Overseas Hong Kong, China) prequalified as the only consortium. It is unclear if either of these will submit an offer.

EWA’s transaction advisory team for the project comprises KPMG Fakhro as the financial consultant and Trowers & Hamlins as the legal consultant.

Al-Hidd IWP

Sitra is Bahrain’s fourth IWPP, replacing the previously planned Al-Dur 3. Bids for another EWA initiative, the planned Al-Hidd independent water plant, have been under evaluation since the beginning of the year.

According to a source, a decision on the project’s development is currently awaiting “tender board approval”.

The Al-Hidd seawater reverse osmosis plant is expected to have a production capacity of about 60 MIGD, equivalent to roughly 272,000 cubic metres a day of potable water.

Acwa (Saudi Arabia) and a consortium of GS Inima (South Korea/Spain) / Lamar Holding (local) each submitted bids for the project.