Chinese company TBEA and the Egyptian Orascom won the tenders for implementing transformers' substations and civil works for the 650 MW Walideya, Assiut power plant. Sources at the Upper-Egypt Electricity Production Company (UEEPC) said that TBEA will be awarded a contract worth EGP 94.860m for the substations, while Orascom will sign a contract over EGP 1.25m for the civil works. The sources noted that the proposals for another tender for pumps are being evaluated. Offers were submitted from several companies, including Mitsubishi and KSB. The total value of that tender is estimated at €16.3m. The project is composed of a steam turbine with a capacity of 650 MW, condensers, generators, and other facilities. The plant works through a steam boiler with supercritical pressure, fuelled by natural gas and fuel oil. The output energy will be linked to the main station in Assiut with a voltage of 500 KV. The project comes within the 2012-2017 five-year plan, which aims to support the national electricity grid to meet the growing need for electricity and achieve development across different fields. Upper Egypt Electricity Production Company's (UEEPC) CEO, Ibrahim El-Shahat, said that the total cost of the power plant amounts to EGP 5bn, noting that financing for the project was secured via loans from international financing bodies, in addition to UEEPC's own resources. Funders include the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development, the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development, the Islamic Development Bank, and the OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID). The UEEPC will finance $170m, roughly 23% of the total cost of the project.
