Tender for EPC Contract for Combined-Cycle Power Station in France Open until November

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--The French Company Poweo Production has extended the bidding process for an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract for a 440-megawatt (MW) combined-cycle power station in France until November 2008. The project will require an estimated investment of $440 million.

Construction of the plant, which will be located in the department of Meurthe-et-Moselle in northeastern France, is expected to be launched during the first quarter of 2009. Commercial operation of the facility is expected to start in the second quarter of 2011.

At present, Poweo Production, a subsidiary of Poweo S.A. (EPA:ALPWO) (Paris, France) (60%) and Verbund (WBAG:VER) (Vienna, Austria) (40%), has already obtained construction permits, and the operations license will be granted in the following months. The tender for the EPC selection will also include an operations and maintenance agreement.

This is the second combined-cycle power plant in France to be owned by Poweo, who will commission its first facility of this type in April 2009. For more information see related article from September 23, 2008 - Poweo's First Combined-Cycle Power Station in France Reaches Final Stages of Construction.

Poweo's industrial plans also include the building of an 800-MW combined-cycle facility in Beaucaire, France, although the permitting process has been delayed because of strong opposition from the local community. Currently the company is looking for a new location in Beaucaire, which may increase the total investment cost of this project, the largest that the company has at the moment.

Poweo S.A. is also a major player in the renewable energy market in France, with 64-MW of wind power capacity installed and around 500-MW planned.

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