Officials in Honduras are negotiating a $70 million loan with the World Bank for a fifth turbine in the hydroelectric station El Cajon.
The process for installing the 75 MW turbine was going to be developed through a concession, but the plans have been changed and now the government has announced that it will be tendered, after negotiating funds with the World Bank, for the installation of the turbine in the plant.
The National Electric Power Company has announced that the repair of the crack in hydroelectric station El Cajon, awarded to the Italian company Astaldi, will now start in March.
After several delays in the project to repair the dam, the National Electricity Company (ENEE) now announced that the works will start in March so as not to affect reservoir levels, taking advantage of the summer.
While waiting for the start of the repair works, the Honduran authorities are complaining about a lack of resources to cover operating expenses for November and December.
Authorities at the Cajon dam have request at least $94,000 from the Budget Committee of Congress to cover operating costs for the final months of 2014.
Juan Francisco Argeñal, the hydroelectric station's manager, told Laprensa.hn that "...
After the 15% advance payment to the Italian company the repairs to the dam in Honduras will begin in December and will take two years.
After countless delays, repair of the hydroelectric finally will finally have free reign, after the award in May and the signing of the contract in August to repair cracks and the slope in the tunnels.
Leonardo Deras, technical assistant manager of the National Electric Power Company told Laprensa.hn that "... The contract has now been signed, and guarantees presented and what is being done now is to pay the down payment, then the contractor will move into the area. "
The offers submitted by three foreign companies for repairing cracks in the dam range from between $33.3 million and $34.3 million.
The Swiss-Venezuelan consortium Rodio Swissboring-Trevi Cimentaciones, the Italian Astaldi S.P.A. , and the Mexican Tecnosuelo, SA de CV are the three companies who submitted financial bids for the work.
"The first envelope opened was from the Swissboring Rhodium-Trevi Foundations, who submitted a financial offer of $33.3 million, not including the 15% sales tax (ISV) and a bond of $1.4 million."
The same companies that had participated in two failed international tenders have submitted two bids for the repair of the El Cajon dam.
The Consortium MOS, made up of the Swiss company Rodio Swissborring and the Venezuelan Trevi Cimentaciones, the Italian Astaldi S.P.A., China's Sinohydro Corporation Limited and the Mexican Tecnosuelo S.A. de C.V. , submitted bids in the private tender conducted by Empresa Nacional de Energía Eléctrica (ENEE) for repairing cracks in the El Cajon hydroelectric station.
After the failure of two tenders for the repair of cracks in El Cajon, the contract for approximately $30 million will be awarded directly.
Empresa Nacional de Energía Eléctrica (ENEE) has $30 million available to carry out the work."We have to look at the parameters and see if the law allows us to negotiate a contract directly. When you do not have any bidders, you take the ones that are there and follow the path with them directly," said Emil Hawitt, manager of the company.
The second tender for repairing the cracks in the El Cajon hydroelectric station has been declared void because bidders lacked the required technical ability.
This is the second time that the tender to repair the leaks in the curtain and the rocky walls of the hydroelectric station Francisco Morazán, better known as "El Cajon", has been declared void by Empresa Nacional de Energía Eléctrica (ENEE).
The administration of the Francisco Morazán reservoir announced that next March a tender will be re-launched for a project to repair cracks in the El Cajon hydroelectric dam.
Cracks in the Francisco Morazán hydroelectric station are causing state losses of over $2 million a year because of the water that is lost instead of going to the engine room.
The National Electricity Company of Honduras announced that there will be another international tender for repairing leaks at the hydroelectric plant.
The contract to repair the leaks in the power plant "El Cajon", which favoured the company Rodio Swissboring Centroamérica, which bid $39.5 million, has been declared unsuccessful, said the manager of the National Electricity Company (ENEE), Roberto Cardona .
The National Electricity Company of Honduras has announced an international tender for works on the Francisco Morazan hydro station, worth about $200 million.
The works to be completed include repair of leaks in the "El Cajon" dam that occurred after the earthquake measuring 7.3 on the Richter scale on 28th May 2009.
This phenomenon led to an increased volume of water through a series of leaks in the rock, tunnels and in the curtain of the hydroelectric station, according to ElHeraldo.hn.
In September, the regulator will start the bidding process to hire a company to undertake repairs and maintenance.
The cost of repairs according to information from the National Electricity Company (ENEE), is about $20 million.
Sub technical manager of ENEE, Leonardo Deras told Latribuna.hn that domestic and foreign experts have agreed on the urgency of initiating repairs and maintenance.
The bidding rules to repair hydroelectric power plant “Francisco Morazán”, also known as “El Cajón”, are ready for publication.
Roberto Martínez Lozano, head of the National Electric Energy Corporation (ENEE), explained that they will invite domestic and foreign companies to participate in the project as soon as possible.
He told newspaper La Tribuna that they have asked the Executive’s to assist them in getting the required $10.6 million for the project, and that negotiations are underway with Japan International Cooperation Agency, the Inter-American Development Bank and the World Bank.
The government will invite companies to bid for repairing cracks at “El Cajón” hydroelectric power plant, also known as “Francisco Morazán”.
Manuel Palma, executive director of the plant, commented they will publish the bidding rules in the next days and that works should begin on June.
“Ana María Castro, president of the Association of Civil Engineers of Honduras, requested authorities to include her organization as the social auditor of the project”, reported Laprensa.hn.