The Ministry of Electricity has received five offers from Arab and international companies for the maintenance of components of the national electricity grid, said Egyptian Electricity Holding Company (EEHC) Chairperson Gaber Dessouky.
These companies are Korean, Egyptian, Emirati, German and French, Dessouky told Daily News Egypt. A committee formed by the EEHC, comprising a number of engineers and experts, is studying the offers.
He explained that the EEHC is considering the establishment of a new company with investments worth EGP 100m to carry out maintenance of the national grid units, in addition to more than 220 generation units. The cost of power plants maintenance is EGP 6bn annually, the chairperson said.
The EEHC is looking for a foreign partnership to contribute to the company. Cooperation with international supply companies provides an opportunity to prepare the required cadres and implement the technical preparation for employment.
The replacement and renewal programmes for all network components is currently done by the expertise available in the companies and through supplier companies as most power plants are still under warranty.
Head of Sales at Siemens Oil and Gas, Karim Amin, said in previous statements to Daily News Egypt that his company is establishing a company for the maintenance of the power plants in Egypt worth €60m to be operational by the end of 2016. He added that cooperation with the Ministry of Electricity for the maintenance of electricity production units in all governorates is being studied.
A senior official at the Ministry of Electricity said the ministry is negotiating with Siemens to establish a company for the maintenance of power plants. This company is in collaboration with the Ministry of Military Production and the Ministry of Electricity.
He added that the total cost for the establishment of the company has not yet been determined. The ministry will hold meetings with the concerned parties to put in place the necessary controls and procedures in order to establish the first company to maintain electricity stations.
The official further said the Ministry of Electricity ended the electricity stations maintenance programme this year. Currently, 153 units are maintained with total power-generating capacities of 30,000 MW at a cost of EGP 2bn.
