Prequalified companies have until 28 July to submit their bids for the contract to design, supply, construct, operate and maintain the 2,000MW gas-fired combined cycle plant. A pre-bid meeting will be held on 8 June.

The project has already been tendered several times. In 2006, the US’ GE Energy and South Korea’s Hyundai Heavy Industries, were selected by the client but later pulled out of negotiations in 2007 and the contract was never awarded. In 2007, the ministry launched its emergency power programme, which included a 2,500MW plant at Subiya. This project was awarded to the local Kharafi National, but was cancelled due to cost.

The revised project now includes a seven-year operation and maintenance period. The first unit of the plant is due to come online 18 months after the contract is awarded.

The ministry has prequalified six companies for the project. They are the US’s GE; Spain’s Iberdrola Ingenieria y Construccion; Japan’s Mitsui & Company; Marubeni Corporation, also of Japan; SNC Lavalin UK and Germany’s Siemens (MEED 21:9:07).

A retender for a gas-fired 3,000MW plant at Al-Zour North is expected by September. When it was originally tendered as a steam plant in 2006, the project received only one bid from South Korea's Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction (MEED 7:9:08).