Epen to receive rural power bids March 3

Argentina's Neuquen province energy department Epen plans to award contracts to build 400km of transmission lines in the western part of the province on March 3, according to Epen information. Bids for a separate tender to provide materials, including cables, for the project will be received on February 13, Epen's project manager Alejandro Tarifa told BNamericas. The World Bank's International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) will fund and oversee the project, which will benefit some 800 families living in the mountainous area. "This is the first rural electrification project in Neuquen with financing from the World Bank," Tarifa said. Epen will manage the tenders and the construction of the lines on behalf of the IBRD. Although the World Bank has set a financial ceiling on the loan corresponding to the estimated cost of the lines, Epen has not published the figure in order to encourage competitive bids. The winding bidder(s) of the construction contracts will start construction in June and the lines will start operations by end-2005. The tender is divided into two parts, with one zone including three lines totaling 142km, and the second zone made up of two lines covering 258km. Interested companies, including international ones, can bid on either or both of the packages, Tarifa said. For more information paste the following link in your browser: http://www.epen.gov.ar/venta_de_pliegos.php