EUR 200 million HPP Dabar project draws 19 expressions of interest

Hidroelektrana Dabar, part of hydropower plant operator Hidroelektrane na Trebišnjici (HET), has received 19 expressions of interest (EOI) in a turnkey/engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contract for a 160 MW Dabar hydropower plant (HPP Dabar), said Željko Zubac, acting general manager of Hidroelektrana Dabar.

The 19 expressions of interest in the HPP Dabar project came from nine countries, including China, France, Spain, Turkey, Italy, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, and the U.S., Zubac said, Nezavisne Novine reported.

The next step is for the Republika Srpska government to approve launching a tendering procedure in line with the public-private partnership (PPP) law, for one of the 19 companies that submitted the EOIs to be selected as the contractor, according to Zubac.

If all goes to plan, construction will be completed within the next four years at the latest, he said.

The estimated value of the project to build and finance HPP Dabar’s remaining facilities is around EUR 200 million, according to the text of the invitation of EOIs, posted earlier by HET, a subsidiary of Elektroprivreda Republike Srpske (ERS), the power utility of Republika Srpska, the Serb entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Under the preferred financial model, Hidroelektrana Dabar’s future project partner would secure a loan to cover at least 85% of the project cost against a guarantee from the Republika Srpska government. The loan would be repaid in cash or electricity over 15 years, following a 4-year grace period. The interest rate would be at around 3%, according to the text of the invitation.

Hidroelektrana Dabar, which would cover the rest of the project cost from own sources, would own 100% of the 160 MW hydropower plant on the Trebišnjica river. The company has already completed preparatory works for the project.

The 160 MW plant, part of a wider Gornji Horizonti hydropower project, would boost HET’s power production by about 50%.