The Ministry of Electricity is scheduled to sign three new contracts for the South Helwan power plant, owned by the Upper Egypt Electricity Production Company (UEEPC) at a value of about EGP 1bn. The contracts include the supply and installation of mechanical work, which was won by the Italian company TechNet after competing with Japanese, Chinese, and Spanish companies. The value of the contract is about EGP 650m, financed by the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development. The second contract includes the supply and installation of medium and low-voltage switches, won by Egyptian German Electrical Manufacturing Company (EGEMAC) after competing with Schneider, and ABB companies. The value of the contract amounts to EGP 44m, financed by the self funding of UEEPC. According to informed sources at the electricity sector, the third contract includes the supply and installation of water treatment facilities at the value of EGP 250m, financed by the World Bank and won by French company Veolia after competing with Saudi Arabian Aquatech, Kuwait's Kharafi Group, Italian Emmeti, and an alliance of two other Italian companies. Minister of Electricity Mohammed Shaker said the cost of the South Helwan station is EGP 15bn, co-financed by the World Bank with a loan of about $500m, the Islamic Development Bank with $450m, the Arab Fund with KWD 55m, the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development with KWD 30m, and the African Development Bank with $90m. The plant's total capacity is 1,950 MW and consists of three units of 650 MW capacities each, scheduled to start operating in the year 2016/2017. The contracts will be signed by UEEPC Chairman and owner of the project Ibrahim Al-Shahat Chairman of EGEMAC's Medhat Ramadan, and officials of international companies that won the contracts. Egyptian Electricity Holding Company Chairman Gaber Desouky will oversee the signing.
