Italian company scores E16.8 million Maguga Hydropower project tender

By Phephile Motau

An Italian company is in the pipeline to score a multimillion Emalengeni contract from the Eswatini Electricity Company (EEC) for Hydropower projects.

It has been revealed that the EEC intends to award Italian company Studio Pietrangeli Consulting Engineers a tender worth about E16.8 million for the Technical Assistance Advisory Consultancy Services for the Development and Construction of the Maguga Hydropower Projects.

This is according to the Intention to Award a contract posted on the Eswatini Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (ESPPRA) website. The EEC said in terms of section 45 of the Public Procurement Act No. 7 of 2011 (the Act), following a competitive bidding process, notice was given that a contract award decision had been reached by the approvals authority and would be awarded to Studio Pietrangeli.

The evaluation score obtained by the company was 91.41 per cent and the proposed contract price was about E16.8 million (EURO 872 715.51). Other companies that were competing for the tender included an India/Swazi joint venture Energy Infratech (Pty) Ltd / MA Dlamini Consulting Engineers JV and WAPCOS Limited, also from India.

EEC said it must be noted that, in terms of section 45(2) of the Act, the above contract award decision did not constitute a contract. Further, in terms of section sections 45(4), 46, and 47 of the Act, all tenderers who submitted bids were notified that a period of 10 working days was allowed for the submission of any application for review from the above-stated date of first publication of the notice.

When issuing the request for proposal, EEC said the projects were for the expansion of the existing 20 MW Maguga Hydropower Plant on the Nkomati River as well as the development and construction of a new Hydropower Plant downstream of the Maguga Dam.

It was stated that the proposed projects, which could increase local generation capacity by up to 30 MW and decrease dependence on imported power, would optimise the river’s hydropower potential and ensure that some of the excess water, which normally spills during the rainy seasons, is used to generate power.