Hydro-based electricity producer Hidroelectrica, has launched, for the fifth time, the tender for awarding the turnkey contract for the refurbishment of one of its most important production facilities – 220 MW hydropower plant Vidraru.
The four previous procurement procedures, launched since 2016, have failed most of the time due to the non-compliance of the received offers with the requirements of the tender specifications.
The deadline for the submission of bids is 29 May. The total value of the contract for the refurbishment of HPP Vidraru is estimated at 146 million euros, plus VAT.
The latest tender, cancelled in 2022, was won by a consortium of Romelectro and Litostroj Power, but the contract was eventually not signed and Romelectro went into insolvency.
According to tender documentation, the subject of the tender are both the design and carrying out of the rehabilitation of the plant, while the selected contractor will have 56 months to complete the works.
Hidroelectrica already launched this tender in 2016, but it was cancelled a year later after the company concluded that all submitted bids were unacceptable or not compliant with the tender documentation.
The rehabilitation project aims to extend the HPP’s life by at least 30 years and to increase the active power of each generator from 55 MW to at least 58.8 MW, while ensuring better reliability, lowering the maintenance needs and increasing safety in operation.
Built between 1961 and 1966, HPP Vidraru was designed to operate predominantly during peak hours, with an installed capacity of 220 MW and an annual average energy output of 400 GWh.
