Friday, March 29, 2024

48 Bidders Submit Pre-Qualification Applications to Develop 2 x 50MW Solar PV IPP Projects

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IDC

The Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) has expressed pleasure with the high caliber of investors interested in the grid-scale solar power initiative following the closing of submission of applications for prequalification on Friday, 13 November 2015.

IDC Director of Operations Paul Siame says bidder turnout was excellent, with submissions that included many leading international renewable energy developers as well as a significant number of local and regional players.

Mr. Siame says the complete list of successfully submitted applications is available on the IDC website www.idc.co.zm.

He explained that once the pre-qualification applications have been evaluated, IDC is expected to announce the Prequalified Bidders during the first half of December, 2015.

“Prequalified Bidders will then be provided with further information on the two solar power PV projects and will proceed to the final round of an open, transparent and competitive bidding process, out of which the two winning bidders will be selected on the basis of the lowest proposed cost of electricity,” he elaborated.

He added that the winning bidders will finance, construct and operate as independent power producers (IPPs) for 25 years.

In July 2015, President Edgar Chagwa Lungu, directed the IDC to call for applications in order to commence the process of redressing the current power deficit in Zambia and resultant national crisis.

This initial phase forms part of the drive for the urgent development and installation of at least 600 MW of solar power.

22 COMMENTS

  1. Friends and relatives are getting the contract! There should be a thorough vetting process before the contract are awarded.

    • @Nubian unless PF government are indeed fooools, how can they give Zambians to install solar farms?
      Award Chinese… full-stop. If they pay Kaizer or not, but you are assured to see a solar plant for first time. Zambian contractors, are you kidding me?

    • Give it to the best producer with a great track record … the smart people of the Zambian Enterprise deserve the very best.

  2. Since there 48 bidders for only two Solar Power project and you describe them as high calibre,why then don’t you advertise more since you are targeting 600Mw and these two will just make 100Mw?? These are desperate times in terms of energy so we need to move much,much,much faster than never before!!So IDC stop telling us stories and about what you assume and start showing us real work. In fact this is a sector where we should start emphasing on local contect so in your selection you should not forget the local factor so that investors do not generate power from our sunshine,sell it to us and ship out all the dollars as it is happening with supermarkets,hotels and road contracts. Something should be remaining in our economy!!!

  3. For the ordinary Zambian, this translates an expensive way of wasting money. Why would a country bring foreign investors to import equipment for generating electricity from the sun, yet individual citizens meet penalising taxes, if they try to import simple systems? Look at the cost of a simple system in Zambia, and you can understand that the people in power have no clue and keen on expensive scheme, when simple and cheap for homes could be the best.

    • The minister said it would take 3 years of normal rainfall to fill the dam and not that loadshedding will take that long. Thats why we are here talking about other sources of energy

  4. THIS IS PURE POLITICKING WHICH IS TAKING THE COUNTRY TO NOWHERE. WHEN ARE YOU PEOPLE GOING TO LEARN THAT A LIE HAS SHORT LEGS. THE MINISTER OF ENERGY HAS TOLD THE NATION THAT LOAD SHEDDING WILL TAKE THREE YEARS TO END. LEARN TO TELL THE TRUTH. THERE IS NO GAIN IN TELLING LIES. FOR HOW LONG ARE YOU GOING TO GO ON WITH YOUR USELESS DON’T KUBEBA PHILOSOPHY?

  5. Like someone has stated even for small plants like these. ..tender will sadly be awarded to Chinese firm with cheap substandard rubbish.

  6. If the IDC website is anything to go by, then I am worried for the future of this organisation. Clearly, the one they have given the tender to design the website is probably some relative of the IT manager, who is himself a cadre, a policy result as officially announced by the chief govt information officer himself!!!. The websiet is not working and the words “IDC etc” were supposed to be in the background but are in the foreground and cover everything. You cant read anything!!!! So annoying!!! Clearly, the IT manager, the communications manager and the CEO have not visited what is supposed to an important page for Zambia, not only to see what is being cmmunicated but how easily this is being done. Please IDC correct this asap, you are embarrasing us!!! I have even failed to see the…

    • This IDC website is more of a Political Party website or PF party prospectus than anything stating Job Creation projections of 1000,000 in 5 years with no policy backing and boasts of 480,000 jobs already created…

  7. The tender goes to the Chinese with the biggest bribe. It’s an opportunity for some one to get rich quick. By now we all know how things work or rather don’t in Zambia

  8. It is strange how some companies that specialise in an innovative such as Solar Energy have no internet footprint whatsoever especially these so called consortums with the exception of Edison Power Group Consortium….I wonder what the criteria to bid is in terms of track record.

  9. I guess electricity production will become profitable now with tarrifs going up, this should boost investment in the sector.

  10. GERMANY AND FRANCE WOULD BE THE BEST COUNTRIES FROM WHICH TO SOURCE CONTRACTORS OF SUCH PROJECTS. AND BY THE WAY WHY ONLY 2 SOLAR FARMS? UWAUMA NAFYALA OMINA LIMO. BORROW MONEY ONCE AND FOR ALL FOR THOSE URGENTLY NEEDED POWER PROJECTS. ONCE COMPLETED MONEY WILL BE RECOVERED SOONER THAN YOU REALISED.

  11. If they pick the French or Germany contractors, you will be the first people to complain that they are too expensive. You Zambians are Evil. May God deliver you from that everlasting hatred

  12. Why only two projects? That will only bring in 100MW which is a drop in the ocean especially with the stated aim being to eventually get 600MW???

  13. Regardless of which foreigners are awarded the contract, there should be clauses to provide for local content. That’s how we can gradually grow capacity & participate meaningfully in the economy.

    • What local content would you hope for in a solar project? Maybe the sunshine? Zambia does not manufacture solar panels, inverters, batteries or solar concentrators. Stop talking nonsense.

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