The state-owned utility received the bids from groups of technical, financial and legal advisers on 20 October for schemes at Duqm and Al-Ghubrah. Commercial bids will be opened in the third week of November, with a decision expected before the end of the year. The financial adviser will act as lead adviser on the schemes.

One consortium involves KPMG as financial adviser, Australia’s WorleyParsons as technical adviser and law firm Berwin Leighton Paisner. UK-based HSBC, the US’ Shaw Stone & Webster, part of the Shaw Group, and law firm Chadbourne & Parke form another consortium, as do consultants Ernst & Young and British Power International with law firm DLA Piper. The fourth bid involves Oman’s Bank Muscat, UK engineering consultant Mott MacDonald and law firm Denton Wilde Sapte.

The successful bidder will provide assistance on two IWPPs, one of which involves a 1,000MW plant on a greenfield site at Duqm, and is likely to be the country’s first coal-fired power plant. The other plant will be built at an existing IWPP at Al-Ghubrah, and involves adding 500MW of power and 25 million gallons a day of desalination capacity.

The new IWPP will be built on the western part of the site, with Al-Ghubrah Power & Desalination Company retaining ownership of the eastern part (MEED 20:10:08).