SOLICITATION NOTICE
B -- Jordan: Feasibility Study: 400kV Transmission Line
- Notice Date
- 3/16/2005
- Notice Type
- Solicitation Notice
- NAICS
- 541690
— Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services
- Contracting Office
- United States Trade and Development Agency, USTDA, USTDA, 1000 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 1600, C/O US TDA 1000 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 1600, Arlington, VA, 22209-3901
- ZIP Code
- 22209-3901
- Solicitation Number
- Reference-Number-0521005A
- Response Due
- 5/18/2005
- Archive Date
- 6/2/2005
- Description
- POC Evangela Kunene, USTDA, 1000 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 1600, Arlington, VA 22209-3901, Tel: (703) 875-4357, Fax: (703) 875-4009; PLEASE DO NOT CONTACT CONTRACTS OFFICE. PROPOSAL SUBMISSION PLACE: Secretary of Tenders Committee, National Electric Power Company, P.O. Box 2310, Amman, Jordan 11181, Phone: (962) 65858615 / (962) 65818336. The Grantee invites submission of qualifications and proposal data (collectively referred to as the "Proposal") from interested U.S. firms which are qualified on the basis of experience and capability to develop a feasibility study for a 400kV dual overhead transmission line from Aqaba to Amman, a new Amman East 400/132 kV substation and to extend the existing Aqaba 400 kV substation. The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is a small, largely land-locked country with a population of approximately 5.6 million. It has a territory of 92,000 sq. km and common borders with Egypt, Iraq, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Israel, and the Palestinian Authority Territory. Electricity production in Jordan has steadily increased during the past ten years to meet growing power demands; these high growth rates are expected to continue for the next 10 to 15 years. Jordan has undergone many changes on account of this growth and in 1996 the Government of Jordan formally converted the Jordan Electricity Authority into the National Electric Power Company (NEPCO), a state-owned monopoly responsible for the management, operation and development of the country?s high voltage transmission network and load dispatching. NEPCO is also responsible for Jordan?s interconnections with neighboring countries. Almost all the electricity currently generated in Jordan is produced by Electricity Generation Companies (GENCOs). The Zarqa power plant, with a capacity of 400 megawatts (MW), and the Aqaba power plant, with a capacity of 650 MW, are the country's two main power generation facilities. Electricity demand is growing, and the Jordanian government has been seeking ways to attract foreign capital to fund additional capacity. Jordan's basic plan for the future of its electric utility system involves having NEPCO maintain ownership of transmission assets, but relying on private power generation and privatizing existing generation assets. The existing Jordanian national electrical network is composed of main substations, which are dispersed across the Kingdom to ensure the supply of electrical energy to all consumers. Jordan is moving toward a pool model for the electricity market and the country is considered a main crossing point for a number of electrical interconnections in the future, including: the seven member electric interconnection project (EIJLLST), which aims to connect the electrical networks of Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Syria and Turkey; the electrical Interconnection project of the Mediterranean countries (MEDRING); the project of the Pan Arab Electrical Interconnection; and the Regional Interconnection project (EIJP). Therefore, a new 400 kV transmission line from Aqaba in the south of Jordan to the north-east, outside of Amman, is considered essential to reinforce the Jordanian network and permit it to participate in the above-mentioned interconnection projects. Preliminary feasibility studies were performed on the Jordanian national network and on the interconnected networks of the EIJLLST countries. These studies showed that there would be important improvements benefiting the Jordanian national electricity sector and interconnected networks from the addition of the proposed 400 kV line. This high voltage transmission line is vital to the country?s power security and reliability as well as the economic power exchange between neighboring countries. This project would connect a 365 km 400 kV double circuit overhead transmission line from the Aqaba 400 kV substation located in the south of Jordan, through the Wadi Araba valley, the Dead Sea, the south of Madaba, and to the east of Amman to reach its final destination, the 400 kV substation north-east of Amman. The proposed project would strengthen the infrastructure of the current interconnection, and build trade capacity, which will allow for the establishment of a large electrical market for exchange and trading of electricity between the countries in the North Africa/Middle East region. Jordan will benefit from the electricity wheeling charges from the transfer of electrical energy among the interconnected countries. Since Jordan occupies a strategic location between east and west, constructing this 400 kV Transmission Line will facilitate such power exchange. Implementation of this project would also create an appropriate electric network location to be connected with an Iraqi network of the 400 kV level. The proposed study has been identified as the most important power project by both NEPCO and Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources. According to NEPCO, this project constitutes a significant bottleneck relief in their high voltage transmission network. None of the other major internal and regional projects, including reinforcement of interconnection with Egypt and possible future interconnection with Iraq, will yield any substantial results until the 400 kV transmission line from Aqaba to Amman and corresponding infrastructure is constructed. The study consultant will conduct: 1) Review of Available Data and Current System Configuration; 2) Legal, Regulatory, and Institutional Review; 3) Regional Electricity Market and Technical Evaluation; 4) Preparation of Preliminary Design and Estimates; 5) Preliminary Environmental and Social Impact Assessment; 6) Preparation of Detailed Design and Estimates; 7) Financing Options Review; 8) Tender Documents Preparation; and 9) Final Report. The U.S. firm selected will be paid in U.S. dollars from a $363,000 grant to the Grantee from USTDA. A detailed Request for Proposals (RFP), which includes requirements for the Proposal, the Terms of Reference, and a background definitional mission report are available from USTDA, at 1000 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 1600, Arlington, VA 22209-3901. Requests for the RFP should be faxed to the IRC, USTDA at 703-875-4009. In the fax, please include your firm?s name, contact person, address, and telephone number. Some firms have found that RFP materials sent by U.S. mail do not reach them in time for preparation of an adequate response. Firms that want USTDA to use an overnight delivery service should include the name of the delivery service and your firm's account number in the request for the RFP. Firms that want to send a courier to USTDA to retrieve the RFP should allow one hour after faxing the request to USTDA before scheduling a pick-up. Please note that no telephone requests for the RFP will be honored. Please check your internal fax verification receipt. Because of the large number of RFP requests, USTDA cannot respond to requests for fax verification. Requests for RFPs received before 4:00 PM will be mailed the same day. Requests received after 4:00 PM will be mailed the following day. Please check with your courier and/or mail room before calling USTDA. Only U.S. firms and individuals may bid on this USTDA financed activity. Interested firms, their subcontractors and employees of all participants must qualify under USTDA's nationality requirements as of the due date for submission of qualifications and proposals and, if selected to carry out the USTDA-financed activity, must continue to meet such requirements throughout the duration of the USTDA-financed activity. All goods and services to be provided by the selected firm shall have their nationality, source and origin in the U.S. or host country. The U.S. firm may use subcontractors from the host country for up to 20 percent of the USTDA grant amount. Details of USTDA's nationality requirements and mandatory contract clauses are also included in the RFP. Interested U.S. firms should submit their Proposal in English directly to the Grantee by 12:00 noon, May 18, 2005 at the above address. Evaluation criteria for the Proposal are included in the RFP. Price will not be a factor in contractor selection, and therefore, cost proposals should NOT be submitted. The Grantee reserves the right to reject any and/or all Proposals. The Grantee also reserves the right to contract with the selected firm for subsequent work related to the project. The Grantee is not bound to pay for any costs associated with the preparation and submission of Proposals.
- Record
- SN00770340-W 20050318/050316212649 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
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