SARAJEVO (Bosnia and Herzegovina), September 19 (SeeNews) – The Chinese consortium chosen to build a 450 MW cogeneration unit at the existing Tuzla thermal power plant (TPP) in Bosnia is set to withdraw from the project, local media reported on Wednesday.
Gezhouba Group Company Limited and Gunagdong Electric Power Design Institute, which were to invest in the project jointly with Bosnia's state-owned power utility Elektroprivreda BiH, will withdraw if the project is not approved by the parliament of Bosnia's Federation entity by the end of the month, news portal Klix.ba quoted representatives of the consortium as saying.
Just on Tuesday, EPBiH said its shareholders have consented to the selection of the Chinese consortium as partner in the construction of the Tuzla TPP unit. The Federation had picked the firms in a tender back in 2014 via a tender.
The project, which was to be funded by the Export - Import Bank of China and EPBiH's own funds, is yet to be discussed by the Federation's parliament, which the Chinese firms expected to happen earlier this year.
Chances that the parliament will convene on the issue by the end of the month are nil, Klix said, citing sources from inside the institution.
The new Tuzla TPP unit is planned to produce 2,739.81 GWh of electricity and 390.9 GWh of thermal energy per year.
The Federation is one of two entities that make up Bosnia and Herzegovina, the other is the Serb Republic.