September 10 (SeeNews) - ICGB, the company developing the Gas Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria project, said on Monday its 8.45 million euro ($9.7 million) tender for the selection of owner's engineer has attracted offers from 12 companies and consortiums.
"Assigning the procurement for owner’s engineer is a key stage in the realization of the project as it’s one of the last steps before construction activities begin," ICGB said in a statement.
The offers for the contract were submitted by Consortium MGV Consultant, a tie-up between Techint Compagnia Tecnica Internazionale and Techfem, Enereco, Consortium "C&M-Asprofos-S Energy-Miks", Consult Eurogas, Consortium RINA, ILF Beratende Ingenieure, Consortium TIBEI, T&T SISTEMI SRL, Consortium VN gazoprovod Greece-Bulgaria, Consortium JV Interconnector 2018 and Technip Italy Direzione Lavori.
The tender was suspended in July over a complaint filed with Bulgaria's Commission for Protection of Competition, and was subsequently resumed last month after the Supreme Administrative Court upheld the competition authority's decision to dismiss the complaint.
The IGB pipeline will connect the Greek gas transmission system in the area of Komotini to the Bulgarian gas transmission system in the area of Stara Zagora.
The planned length of the pipeline is 182 km and the projected capacity will be up to 3 billion cu m per year in the direction from Greece to Bulgaria. Depending on interest from the market and the capacities of the neighbouring gas transmission systems, the capacity of the pipeline can be increased up to 5 billion cu m per year, thus allowing for physical reverse flow from Bulgaria to Greece with the additional installation of a compressor station.
The gas link is estimated to cost 220 million euro. The project company has secured a sovereign guarantee of 110 million euro under the annual state budget act, which could ensure loan financing under preferable conditions.
The project is being implemented by the joint venture company ICGB, in which state-owned Bulgarian Energy Holding (BEH) and Greece-registered IGI Poseidon hold equal shares. Greek public gas corporation DEPA and Italian energy group Edison own 50% each of IGI Poseidon.
($= 0.8753 euro)