Jordan’s National Electric Power Company (Nepco) has received 18 responses to its request for qualification (RFQ) to build the country’s third independent power project (IPP).

The deadline for submissions was 31 October. The following companies and groups submitted RFQs:

• Gas Cities (UAE)
• Gama Enerji (Turkey)
• Powertek Berhad (Malaysia)
• Wartsila (Finland)
• GMR Group (India)/El-Sewedy (Egypt)
• Saudi Oger (Saudi Arabia)/Korea East-West Power Company (South Korea)
• Korea Electric Power Company (Kepco)/Mitsubishi Corporation (Japan)
• Abu Dhabi National Electric Power Company (UAE)
• Sithe Global Power Ventures (US)
• Acwa Power (Saudi Arabia)
• AES (US)
• Unit Investment (Netherlands)
• Malakoff International (Malaysia)/Jordan Dubai Capital
• Vision Engineering Group (Jordan)/Walters Power International (US)
• Lando Enterprise (Singapore)/Truba Jaya Engineering (Indonesia)
• Tenaga Nasional Berhad (Malaysia)/Saudi Binladin Group (Saudi Arabia)/United Infrastructure Developers Company (UK)
• Sorgenia (Italy)/J&P Avax (Greece)
• Taqa Power, Water & Cooling (Egypt)/Socoin (Spain)/International Free Company (Jordan)

The selected developer will build the plant on a build-own-operate (BOO) basis at a site in Amman East.

The project was unveiled at the end of 2009, at which point Nepco said it intended to issue an RFQ to developers by June 2010. The issue date was subsequently pushed back to September as Nepco and its adviser, US firm K&M Engineering & Consulting, finalised the specifications of the project (MEED 26:8:10).

Once qualified, the bidders will be asked to propose two bids, a base bid and an option capable of dealing with peak demand. For the base bid, the project will consist of a power generating facility with capacity of 300-350MW and an expected annual capacity factor of approximately 60 per cent.

For the peak demand option, the project will consist of a power generating facility with a capacity of 200-250MW using either diesel engine technology or combustion turbines operating in simple cycle, with an expected annual capacity factor of 40 per cent.

Nepco will then award a contract to develop one of the two power schemes. The desired commercial operation date for the plant is 2013-14.

For both options, the project will use heavy fuel oil (HFO) as the main fuel, natural gas as secondary and light distillate as tertiary.

The bidders will be responsible for sourcing HFO of the quality suitable for the equipment proposed. Responsibility for liquid fuel procurement (HFO or distillate) will be determined at a later stage of the tender process. Nepco intends to supply the natural gas for the project, but is not committed to doing so.

Nepco, which operates most of Jordan’s power network, will also buy the output of the plant for a period of 25 years.

The project is Jordan’s third IPP, although it is the first to be developed by Nepco. The previous two private power schemes were implemented under the Energy & Mineral Resources Ministry.

The Almanakher IPP, which began operating in August 2009, was developed by a team of Dubai-based AES Oasis and Japan’s Mitsui & Company. The ministry awarded the second IPP, at Al-Qatrana, to a team of Korea Electric Power Corporation (Kepco) and Saudi Arabia’s Xenel Industries in mid-2008.