Napocor bids out anew transfer of Pinamucan power facility

The National Power Corp. (Napocor) held yesterday the second bidding for the transfer of the 110-megawatt (MW) Pinamucan power plant from Batangas to Iloilo.

"There was a sealed bidding with three participating bidders," Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp. (PSALM) vice president for marketing Froilan Tampinco said.

But as of press time, PSALM was not yet ready to release the results of the bidding.

Napocor may pursue the negotiated award of the contract to transfer the 110-MW Pinamucan power barge if the bidding fails anew. Under the law, after two successive failed biddings, government may enter into a negotiated contract.

Three companies participated in the first failed bidding: the Dingle II consortium, which tendered the lowest price bid of P664.8 million; the EEI consortium, which submitted a bid of P673.07 million; and First Phil. Balfour Beatty Inc., with a bid of P1.197 billion.

Napocor, however, had to declare a failure of bidding as the offers it received were all higher than the approved P535-million budget for the Pinamucan transfer.

Apart from DM Consunji Inc., the Dingle II consortium is made up of Alsons Power Holdings Corp., Bendimil Construction and Development Corp., and Home Construction Inc.

Government has been eyeing the transfer of the Pinamucan facility as a possible solution to the looming power crisis in Panay Island. The project involves the dismantling, hauling, transfer and installation of four 12.94-MW and four 14.63-MW diesel generator sets, auxiliary equipment and powerhouse from Pinamucan town in Batangas to Dingle Island in Iloilo.

The transfer of the Pinamucan facility will take about 10 months.

Pinamucan was built in 1993 by Enron Power Corp. under the build-operate-transfer scheme. The ownership of the plant has since reverted to Napocor after its 10-year contract with Enron expired last July.