Construction company Bechtel submitted the only valid application under a public call for companies from the United States of America to express interest in participating in the implementation of the Đerdap 3 pumped storage hydropower plant. It has been qualified for the second phase of the procedure.
The US Embassy in Serbia said in early June that the Government of Serbia has issued a public call to companies from the USA to express interest in participating in the Đerdap 3 project.
The public call was published on the embassy’s website. In early July, Minister of Mining and Energy Dubravka Đedović Handanović revealed that six companies have submitted expressions of interest.
Two-stage procedure
Now, the Ministry of Mining and Energy published a report on the completed first round of the public call procedure for the selection of a contractor for the implementation of the project.
The objective of the first stage of the procedure was to collect bids from interested companies and determine whether the requirements prescribed by the public call had been met, with a view to selecting the candidates that would be invited to participate in the next stage of the procedure.
According to the report, by the submission deadline, June 25, six bids had been received, from the following bidders: Fresh Development LLC (USA), as the lead partner of a consortium with LDS, Požarevac (Serbia); Bechtel UK Holdings International Limited, as the lead partner of a consortium with ENKA Insaat ve Sanayi A.S. (Turkey); Voith Hydro Inc.; Channell Commercial Corporation; Moravacem, Popovac (Serbia); and Global TBM Company dba Robbins.
Bechet will be invited to the second phase
The Government Working Group for Supplier Selection has concluded that following the evaluation, it was established that the Bechtel-led consortium submitted documentation demonstrating compliance with all requirements prescribed by the call for continuation of the procedure, the report reads.
The other participants in the procedure shall not be invited to the second phase of the procedure, the report added.
Bechtel’s long-standing interest in Đerdap 3
Of note, two days ago the ministry launched a public procurement procedure for the production of planning documentation and part of the technical documentation for the construction of the Đerdap 3 project.
Back in 2022, Bechtel said it is looking at financing the prefeasibility study for the Đerdap 3 project. The company is also active in the region.
Bechtel is currently being considered as a potential contractor for the construction of the gas pipeline Southern Gas Interconnection in BiH.
In 2020 it agreed with Albania’s Ministry of Infrastructure and Energy to jointly prepare an action plan for the implementation of the Skavica hydropower plant project.
