Ashalim Sun PV has won the tender for the photovoltaic power station at Ashelim, the inter-ministerial committee chaired by Deputy Accountant General Gil Shabtai announced today. The BOT (build, operate, transfer) project is for a 30-megawatt power station.
Ashelim Sun PV is a consortium of SE-SIC Ashalim, owned by Nochi Dankner-controlled Clal Energy Ltd. SunEdison Israel Ltd., and SunEdison LLC of the US. It won the tender with a bid of just NIS 0.5365 per kilowatt/hour. The actual price weighted for linkage to the Consumer Price Index (CPI) is NIS 0.507 per kw/h.
The PV power station is due to come on line in the first half of 2015, and will be the largest power station of its kind in the world. The power station will be adjacent to two 110-megawatt thermosolar power stations. Altogether, the power stations will generate 2% of Israel's electricity production, and will be an important milestone to achieve the government's target of producing 10% of Israel electricity by renewable sources by 2020.
Ashelim Sun PV beat three consortia in the tender: Enxco Ashalim, owned by Eshel Israel Sun, by Shari Arison-controlled Shikun u'Binui Holdings Ltd. (TASE: SKBN) and SunPower Corporation of the US; EDF Energy, owned Israel Electric Corporation (IEC) (TASE: ELEC.B22) and and France's EDF SA (Euronext: EDF);; Super Solar Ashalim, owned by David Azrieli through Granite Hacarmel Investments Ltd. (TASE: GRNT) and Germany's Siemens AG (NYSE: SI; XETRA: SIE).
Building a power plant in 28 months
Under the tender terms, Ashalim Sun PV will plan and build the power station in 28 months, and then operate it for 27 years before handing it over to the state.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on March 6, 2012
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