Prequalifiers miss deadline for Ruwais power plant

10 November 2009

Contracting teams ask for more time after Takreer increases scope of project

Abu Dhabi Oil Refining Company (Takreer) failed to get any technical bids by the 5 November deadline for its project to boost the capacity of its Ruwais power plant.

All three groups that had prequalified for the contract asked the state-owned refiner to extend its deadline after it increased the scope of the project late in the bidding process. Takreer, which needs the power plant to supply electricity to a planned refinery at Ruwais, has yet to respond to the requests.

Instead, Takreer has cancelled clarification meetings with the three companies, scheduled for mid November. The bidders say this is a sign that it will push back the deadline.

Takreer is also likely to postpone its 14 December deadline for commercial bids as a result of its failure to get technical bids.

Takreer’s power plant at Ruwais currently has a capacity of 650MW. The three prequalifying groups first submitted technical bids to expand the plant’s capacity by 750MW, taking its output to 1,400MW, on 30 September.

But Takreer then asked them to submit new technical bids for a revised increase of 1,050MW, taking the total capacity to 1,700MW, on 1 November, before delaying the deadline to 5 November.

The three prequalified groups are: France’s Alstom with Switzerland-based ABB; Germany’s Siemens and South Korea’s Samsung Corporation; and a consortium of the US’ GE with South Korea’s Hyundai Heavy Industries. All submitted bids for the original 750MW expansion in September.

Takreer has looked at buying power from Abu Dhabi Water & Electricity Authority as an alternative to the expansion.

Takreer declined to comment.

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