Egypt's Suez Windfarm Tender Attracts 26 International Companies

---

Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--In response to a tender invitation by the Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company (EETC) (Cairo) to build a windfarm at the Gulf of Suez off the country's east coast, 26 international companies have expressed interest in participating in the project. EETC, the only company in Egypt with the license for extra-high-voltage and high-voltage transmission, issued the tender on May 9. The project involves the development of a windfarm with an installed power generation capacity of 250 megawatts on a build-own-operate basis.

The bidding process consists of two phases: a prequalification phase followed by a request-for-proposal phase. EETC has asked interested companies to buy the request-for-prequalification booklet that contains the details about the tender. The state-run transmission company also proposes to schedule a meeting of interested developers at the end of next month to address queries on the tendering process. Companies have been asked to submit their pre-qualification documents by July 21, 2009. Short-listed companies will be invited to submit proposals in the second phase.

The successful bidder will be responsible for the design, procurement of funds, and construction of the power plant. The developer would also own and operate the plant for 20-25 years. EETC will purchase all of the power generated from the plant for further sale to distribution companies. The government of Egypt has provided full guarantee, including financial and legal terms, for the purchase of power. The windfarm is expected to be commissioned by 2014 for commercial operations.

Oil and gas constitutes a significant portion of Egypt's total energy mix. The current reserves are likely to last for a maximum of another three decades. This has led the country to focus aggressively on renewable sources in order to meet the rising demand for electricity. Egypt plans to use renewable sources of energy to produce 20% of the total power generated in the country by 2020. Nearly 12% of the total power generated, which is estimated at about 7,200 MW of power, will come from wind energy. The current total installed wind generation capacity of Egypt is 365 MW, which includes windfarms along the Suez Coast in Zafarana and Hurghada. The government expects the private sector to add about 400 MW of power annually from windfarms with another 200 MW coming from state-owned projects.

View Project Report - 83600063 83600080 83600166 83600167

Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy related markets. For more than 26 years, Industrial Info has provided plant and project opportunity databases, market forecasts, high resolution maps, and daily industry news.