RPower, Lanco, Essar qualify for mega deals

Reliance Power, Lanco Infratech, Jindal Power, and Essar Power have qualified for setting up three mega transmission projects in the country. A little more than a dozen companies had bid for the projects.
Rural Electrification Corp (REC), the nodal agency for two of the three projects, has shortlisted six companies each for the transmission systems. Power Finance Corp (PFC), the agency responsible for the third project, has selected eight companies, an official in the power ministry said.
Firms, which have been selected in the first round of bidding, include CESC, JSW Energy, Lanco Deepak Consortium, Reliance Power Transmission, Sterlite Technologies, JSW Energy, and L&T Transco, he said.
“REC will soon invite price bids or request for proposals (RFPs) for its projects, while PFC has already issued the documents. The last date of submission of RFPs has been fixed as September 2, 2009, by PFC,” the official said on the condition of anonymity.
The projects, inviting private participation under the international competitive bidding route, are part of the 14 transmission systems planned by the government. The transmission lines, proposed to be set up on the lines of ultra-mega power projects, are expected to cost Rs 20,000 crore.
The projects are being bid out by wholly-owned subsidiaries of PFC and REC. While REC Transmission Projects is conducting bidding for Talcher Augmentation Transmission System and North Karanpura Trans-mission System, PFC’s East-North Interconnection Company is responsible for selecting a developer for a scheme for enabling transmission of power between the northeast and eastern regions.
Request for Qualification or technical bids for the three projects were invited in the second half of last year. Each of the project received response from at least 13 companies including GMR Energy, Powerlinks Transmission - a joint venture of Tata Power and Power Grid Corp.