INFRASTRUCTURE update: Revision needed on Chinese electrical contractors

Energy/Infrastructure

After the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between Panama and the United States to promote the storage, distribution and transmission of energy, in addition to investment in infrastructure, the Fourth Line of Electrical Transmission could become an international chapter of the commercial war, until now cold, between the United States and China.

And it is that of the six bidders for the prequalification of the work, four of them, among which are the Colombian Interconexión Eléctrica SA and the consortiums Chiriquí Transmisora ​​de Energía, the Four Seasons consortium and the Vasco Nuñez de Balboa Transmission consortium complied with the prequalification requirements for the Fourth Electric Transmission Line that Etesa is putting out to tender, with an investment of approximately $ 500 million.

PROJECT FEATURES

The construction of the Chiriquí Grande-Panamá III 500KV Electricity Transmission Line project is estimated to be built over a period of three years with an investment of nearly $ 500 million.

The work is expected to start operating in 2023, with a transport capacity of 1280MVA / 1,400 MW, under normal operating conditions and 1,800 MW under emergency conditions.

The project, which will consist of two self-supported towers, will comprise two phases. The first phase will consist of the construction of the transmission line, with approximately 317 km in length, the construction of the Chiriquí Grande 230 KV substation and the expansion of the Panama III substation. In this phase, the line will operate at 230 KV.And the second phase will include the 500 KV energization of the line, for which the construction of two Chiriqui Grande and Panama III substations will be necessary.

The substations of this project are located in the provinces of Bocas del Toro and Panama.

The transmission line will cover the provinces of Bocas del Toro, Comarca Ngäbe Buglé, Veraguas, Colón, Coclé and Panama.

However, the Chinese conglomerates TBEA Co. LTD and China Electric Power Equipment and Technology did not comply, according to the Report of the Evaluation Commission, with the requirement of the 3,000 km of electric lines built, in possession and currently operated by the proposer, in three different countries with at least one of them in America.

He cites the report that China Electric Power presented a proposal with 4,056 km of line but only 2,617 of them could be verified; they were short for the 3,000 km required in the Schedule of Charges. It is the same case of TBEA, the evaluation committee could only verify 1,327 km of the 3,000 required to prequalify, invalidating both proposals. The DGCP refers to the lack of evidence to verify the relationship between the builders and operators of some of the works they submitted to validate the experience of the proponent.

READ MORE:http://laestrella.com.pa/economia/ordenan-revision-parcial-informe-cuarta-linea/24078970

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