Cairo Electricity Production Company (CEPC) has awarded a civil works package for the 1,500MW Giza North combined-cycle power plant in Egypt to the local Orascom Construction Industries.

The contract, worth $181m, is one of several contracts awarded by the electricity company for the 1,500MW power plant. The project is scheduled for completion by early 2014.

A separate package has been tendered for the steam turbines. Egyptian Electric Holding Company (EEHC) applied for a $600m loan from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), a subsidiary of the World Bank. The proceeds of the loan would be used to pay for the steam turbine generators and condensers.

The plant will use natural gas as the main fuel and light diesel oil as a back-up. It is expected to cost a total of about $1.4bn to build.