March 28 is the new date to present proposals for the design, construction and operation of the Fourth Electric Transmission Line in Panama.
The modification to the terms of the public tender was carried out by the Empresa de Transmisión Eléctrica (Etesa) at the request of the companies pre-qualified in the process.
A report by Conservation Strategy Fund considers four options for the layout of the power line between Colombia and Panama.
While the main companies involved in the project, Empresa de Transmisión Eléctrica S.A. and the Colombian state run Interconexión Eléctrica (ISA), are still in the "feasibility and design" phase, the Conservation Strategy Fund (CSF), "an international organization that trains people in the use of economic science to protect forests, rivers and other ecosystems", has drawn up a report on the financial costs, environmental, social and security risks, and suggested "... four possible routes on which to develop the power interconnection project. "
Hydroelectric projects and expansion of distribution networks are part of the opportunities that Colombian Power firms are looking to take advantage of in the Isthmus.
There are now three Colombian energy sector companies that have decided to venture into Central America to be part of the development of an activity that still has much room for growth in the region.
Since the establishment of electrical interconnection, Mexico has billed Guatemala an average of $5.47 million a month.
From October 2010 until March, Guatemala has paid Mexico on average $5.47 million a month for the sale of electricity, according to data from the Guatemala’s National Institute of Electrification (INDE).
From the three companies, the lowest-priced bid was submitted by EEB-EDM Proyecto Guatemala.
The contract will be awarded on January 22, 2010, after the proposals are evaluated by energy authority CNEE.
EEB-EDM Proyecto Guatemala "...would charge $32.349.900 per year for 15 years (a total $485 million) for transporting energy", reported Prensalibre.com.
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