Syria’s Public Establishment of Electricity for Generation & Transmission (PEEGT) expects to issue a request for proposals (RFP) to qualified developers to build an independent power project (IPP) at Al-Nasserieh in January or February 2011.

PEEGT prequalified 14 companies in October from the 17 that submitted requests for qualification (RFQs). This was the second RFQ issued for the project. Only five companies responded to the first RFQ in May 2009.

The companies prequalified in the latest RFQ are:

• Evonik Steag (Germany)
• Mapna (Iran)
• Powertek Berhad (Malaysia)
• Mitsui & Company (Japan)
• Acwa Power (Saudi Arabia)
• Malakoff International (Malaysia), Limak (Turkey) and JDC (Jordan)
• Tenaga Nasional Berhad (Malaysia)
• International Power (UK) and Orascom Construction Industries (Egypt)
• Karadeniz Holding (Turkey)
• Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development (Switzerland)
• Mytilineos Holdings (Greece) and Metka (Greece)
• Aksa Enerji (Turkey)
• El-Sewedy Power (Egypt) and GMR (India)
• Qatar Electricity & Water Company (Qatar)

Two companies prequalified from the initial RFQ in November 2009 will also be added to that list. Greece’s Terna was successful in the first round, as was Marafeq, a joint venture of Syria’s Cham Holding and the Kuwaiti conglomerate Al-Kharafi.

The ministry aims to diversify its sources of power generation in the country and meet growing electricity demand. The Al-Nasserieh project is intended to assist in both of these objectives. The IPP is to have a capacity of 180-250MW and will run on heavy fuel oil, natural gas or a mixture of both.

The project is promoted by Public Establishment of Electricity for Generation & Transmission (PEEGT). The PEEGT is under the control of the Electricity Ministry and is solely responsible for planning, development, operation and maintenance of Syria’s generating plants and transmission networks.

PEEGT appointed the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the Washington-headquartered World Bank Group, as lead adviser to assist in the structuring and implementation of the country’s first IPP.

The UK’s Allen & Overy and local law firm Sarkis Attorneys at Law were selected as legal advisers for the project in July. UK-based consultant Mott MacDonald is technical adviser.