(Business in Cameroon) - The Port Authority of Kribi (PAK) announced the upcoming construction of a thermal power plant (80 MW) to supply the port platform. Patrice Melom, MD-PAK has already launched an international call for tender to select the partner.

The successful bidder will be responsible for conducting comprehensive technical, financial, legal, and commercial due diligence. The company will also define the technical solution to be implemented while specifying the installed capacity, the type of technology to be used, and the impact on the operational performance of the plant. In addition, it will be in charge of developing a consultation file to be used for the selection of private partners and the elaboration of contractual documents needed in the framework of the project, in particular, the power purchase agreement.

The execution period of the services is eight months maximum, including four months for the realization of the structuring phase of the project and four months for the assistance in the selection of the private partner. The estimated cost of all these services is CFA120 million. The deadline to submit applications is June 19, 2022.

With this project, PAK seeks to be energy self-sufficient. Until now, the energy needs in Kribi are covered by the thermal power plant controlled by Globeleq. But this facility is often faced with financial problems, which affect supply. As a reminder, the National Oil and Gas Company (SNH) delivered 8,286.56 million cubic feet of natural gas (234.68 million m3) to the thermal power plant of Kribi at the end of October 2020. This volume is well below the contractual obligation for the period because it corresponds to average electricity production of only 127.60 megawatts (MW) or 59.07% of the plant's nominal capacity of 216 MW.

Sylvain Andzongo