Pre-qualification bids are sought by 31 October for the design and construction of the project to be located on the river Komo, about 125 km east of the capital Libreville in the northwestern province of Estuaire, under an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract. The entire work consists of three lots and will be the subject of a single contract grouping all three lots. Lot 1 covers the construction of a mixed RCC and rockfill dam with a maximum height of about 45 m with an uncontrolled spillway, Lot 2 covers the plant and hydraulic system including an external intake in one of the arms of the reservoir, an underground hydraulic system that will be approximately 3 km long and nearly 5 m in diameter, and a hydroelectric plant of nearly 80 MW comprising three units with Pelton type turbines and, Lot 3 will entail the construction of a 225 kV evacuation line approximately 100 km long, and associated substation.
A call for tenders defining the draft contract, the terms of reference and the bid evaluation criteria, as well as instructions for applicants to submit technical and financial proposals will be launched at a later stage for shortlisted companies or groups of companies following this call for expressions of interest. Pre-qualified candidates must submit a global offer including all three lots.
The project will be developed and operated by Asokh Energy, a special purpose vehicle that is in the process of being set up by the partners, according to the tender notice. Eranove, a West African-focused power and water utility, signed 30-year concession agreements with FGIS in October 2016 to design, finance, develop and operate the Ngoulmendjim project as well as the 15 MW Dibwangui run-of-river facility on the river Louetsi in the southeastern region of Ngounié. Development of the two projects will help ease the country’s tight supply-demand margins, most notably in Libreville, home to half the country’s population. For Libreville, around 15-20 MW of new capacity is required to be added to the city’s grid each year, to keep pace with demand. The project is one of several new hydropower plants that are planned by the government of Gabon as part of its Plan Stratégique Gabon Emergent (Emerging Gabon Strategic Plan) to exploit the country’s hydropower potential to provide affordable and sustainable power for all. The Government of Gabon expects hydropower to eventually account for 80 per cent of total generation. Ngoulmendjim is estimated to generate average annual output of 500 GWh.
To obtain pre-qualification documents and all additional information, contact: projet.ngoulmendjim@eranove.com with a copy to be sent to
dis-cih-ngoulmendjim-ct@edf.fr
