Negotiations started on 5 May with a consortium comprising British, Japanese and local firms for a contract to build a crossing over Izmit bay on a build-operate-transfer (BOT) basis. The client is the State Highways Directorate (KGM) in the Public Works & Housing Ministry (MEED 20:12:96).

The consortium was selected out of three bidders for the negotiations, and groups Japan's Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries (IHI), Itochu Corporation, Marubeni Corporation, NKK Corporation and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, the UK's Kvaerner Construction, and the local Enka. The two other consortia which returned bids in December are:

Bouygues Vinsan comprising France's Bouygues with the local Vinsan

IBKO Consortium, including Italy's Impregilo, France's Campenon Bernard and Transroute International, Germany's Bilfinger & Berger, Spain's Dragados & Construcciones, and the local Tekfen and Dogus

The winning consortium submitted an offer for the erection of a 1.6-kilometre, centre-span suspension bridge, with sidespans at each end of 576 metres in length, costed at $863 million. It has also offered $552 million towards the construction of a motorway with a total length of about 50 kilometres between Dilovasi, on the northern shore of the bay, and Orhangazi, near Bursa.

According to its tender, the consortium will take four years and one month to build the crossing, and will operate it for 20 years. Consultants to the KGM are Canada's Delcan Corporation with the local DAP.

Bids in for thermal power O&M contracts

The Energy Ministry has received a total of 45 bids for operation and management (O&M) contracts for 11 thermal power station projects (MEED 29:11:96). The local Korona has emerged as lead contender, submitting low bids in terms of US cents per kWh for four of the stations.

The contenders are competing on the basis of electricity prices to be charged to state Turkish Electricity Generation & Transmission Corporation (TEAS), since the individual plant transfer costs for the O&M period of 20 years are fixed. Low bids for the plants, all fuelled by lignite (brown coal) unless otherwise specified, were as follows:

the 630-MW Yatagan plant, with transfer costs of $160 millon: the local Prima Enerji - 1.465 cents/kWh

the 420-MW Yenikoy plant together with the 630-MW Kemerkoy plant, with transfer costs respectively of $100 million and $150 million: Prima Enerji - 1.169 and 1.782 cents/kWh respectively

the 210-MW Orhaneli plant, with transfer costs of $90 million: the local Suzer Holding - 2.194 cents/kWh

the 300-MW Kangal plant, with transfer costs of $75 million: Suzer Holding - 2.350 cents/kWh

the 44-MW and 990-MW Soma A and Soma B plants, with transfer costs respectively of $15 million and $240 million. Soma A: the local AES Tekser -

3.529 cents/kWh; Soma B: the UK's National Power, with the local Bayindir and Mimag - 3.034 cents/kWh

The sale of the plants forms part of the government's privatisation plans for electricity generation and distribution, and also forms part of a third special revenues package aiming to raise fresh financial resources.