A venture of Belgium's Tractebel with the local Parmas has submitted the low bid of around $15.2 million for design and engineering work on two large liquefied natural gas (LNG) import terminals to state pipeline and gas agency Botas. The terminals will be built at Aliaga, near Izmir, and at Iskenderun in the eastern Mediterranean (MEED 10:1:97).

The only other commercial bid to be opened was from France's Sofregaz with the local Tumas, at $17 million.

Botas apparently decided not to proceed with evaluation of bids also received from The MW Kellogg Company of the US, and a Japanese venture of Mitsui Corporation with Chiyoda Corporation, project sources say. Others among the nine ventures shortlisted by Botas were deterred from bidding by the complexity of tender documentation, the sources add.

The two terminals will each have a capacity of about 6,000 million-8,000 million cubic metres a year. Their size and construction schedules will be finalised on completion of the initial studies.

The government has recently sought several agreements for LNG imports in order to meet soaring domestic demand projections for gas (Oil & Gas, MEED Special Report, 1:11:96, page 32). Botas sources say the terminals may import LNG from countries such as Egypt, Nigeria, Qatar, Malaysia and Yemen.