Lahmeyer takes Marib consultancy job

09 July 2004
Germany's Lahmeyer Internationalhas been awarded the contract to provide consultancy services to state-owned Public Electricity Corporation (PEC) on the estimated $230 million Marib power station project. Three companies are in the race for a second consultancy contract, covering construction supervision on the project's substation and transmission line elements (MEED 14:5:04).

Lahmeyer's mandate will be to supervise the construction of the 300-MW single cycle, gas-fired Marib power plant. Lahmeyer will succeed the US' Kuljian Engineering, which is providing consultancy services throughout the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) bidding process. The opening of commercial offers for the EPC contract - originally due in May - is now expected to take place in July once approval has been received from the Saudi Development Fund - one of the two sponsors. PEC has already secured the green light from the other sponsor, the Kuwait-based Arab Fund for Economic & Social Development (AFESD).

Seven groups of international companies have been shortlisted for the gas-fired plant, which will produce almost a third of Yemen's existing power generation capacity of 977 MW (MEED 30:4:04).

Three consultants are in the race for the contract to supervise construction of the project's 400-kV and 132-kV gas-insulated switchgear (GIS) substations and the 200-kilometre, 400-kV transmission line. Germany's Fichtner, Jordan's National Electric Power Company (Nepco)and Saudi Consulting Services (SaudConsult)have been shortlisted for the contract, which is expected to be awarded by mid-July.

The opening of commercial offers for the EPC contract to build the substation and the transmission line, which was initially scheduled for 30 June, has been delayed to mid-July, PEC says. Both project sponsors in late June approved funding for the substation and transmission line package.

PEC is planning a second-phase development of the Marib power project, which will be carried out as an independent power project (IPP). International consultants submitted bids in early May for the contract to draw up tender documents for Marib phase 2, which calls for a 400-MW IPP, an option that has long been considered by PEC (MEED 7:6:02).

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