Brenwe Hydro Tender awarded to NZ joint venture company

21 November, Port Vila. The Vanuatu Government has announced that Bids for the Vanuatu Energy Access Project — Engineering, Procurement and Construction for the Brenwe Hydropower Plant (VEAP – BHP) on Malekula have now been finalized.

There were four Bidders on June 20 2019 before the Bid Submission deadline of 11am: Map/Vortex Joint Venture (JV) of New Zealand; HNAC Technology Company Ltd of China (Single Entity); Pacific Engineering Projects Ltd of New Zealand (SE), and the China Civil Engineering Construction Company (CCECC) with Dongfang Electric International Corporation (DEC) (JV).

The winning bid was from MAPs/Vortex JV of New Zealand for the sum of USD$5.84 million.

The Vanuatu Project Management Unit (VPMU) anticipates that a signing of the contract between the government and the New Zealand joint venture company will take place before the end of the month.

This will be followed by mobilization of materials, equipment and personnel.

The duration of the project is 24 months.

According to VPMU, the project will see the distribution of grid extensions on Malekula, which will bring electricity to villages in and around Brenwe and Unmet to Leviamp and then down to Lambubu and on to Laravet – increasing electricity access for residents of Malekula from 8% (mostly at Lakatoro areas) to about 14%.

“The once abandoned Brenwe Hydro is being revitalised, thanks to the Asian Development Bank which provided a loan of US$2.5 million (approximately Vt250 million) and a grant of the same amount, while the Strategic Climate Fund (SCF) are providing a grant of approximately US$7 million (or approximately Vt700 million) and the balance of the US$15.1 project value (or approximately Vt1.5 billion) being met by the Vanuatu Government,” VPMU stated.

“The project will see the construction of a 400kW run-of-river hydro-power plant, construction of a total of 2km of access roads, 21km transmission lines (20 kilovolts), an intake structure, a 1km headrace canal, a 190-meter steel penstock and a powerhouse.”

VPMU, under the Prime Minister’s Office, is providing management oversight over the project, in close collaboration with the Ministry of Climate Change and the Department of Energy being the key Government implementing agencies.

The project is being implemented to fulfil a goal in the National Energy Road Map launched in 2013, with the central goal of energizing “Vanuatu’s growth and development through the provision of secure, affordable, accessible, and high quality clean energy services”.

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Source:  Vanuatu Daily Post