The Ministries of Finance and National Infrastructures can chalk up another success. Last-minute entrants in the BOT (build, operate, transfer) tender for the construction and operation of the photovoltaic power plant at Ashelim in the Negev boosted the number of bids to ten. Four or five consortia were originally expected to submit bids for the $70-80 million project to build a 15-megawatt photovoltaic power plant. Intervention by Minister of National Infrastructures Benjamin Ben-Eliezer made the tender possible.
The bidders are:
Elco Holdings Ltd. (TASE: ELCO) and financially troubled Babcock and Brown Capital (ASX: BNB) also purchased the tender documents, but are not expected to bid in the tender.
There is an option to double the capacity of the 15-megawatt photovoltaic power plant project. Criteria in the prequalification stage include experience in the operation of photovoltaic power plants, experience in building large infrastructure projects, and $30 million in shareholders' equity.
Last week, seven bids were submitted in the $650 million tender for the construction and operation of the two thermorsolar power plants, which will produce 250 megawatts altogether, at Ashelim. Some of the bidders in the photovoltaic power plant tender, bid in the thermorsolar power plant tender, including Housing and Construction, Sapir Engineering, Abengoa, and Siemens.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on September 16, 2008
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