(Business in Cameroon) - Indian firms Kalpataru Projets International Limited and Transrail Lighting Limited secured three lots of the Cameroon-Chad electrical interconnection project (Pirect), as indicated in the contract award notice signed by Victor Mbemi Nyankga, the Managing Director of the National Electricity Transmission Company (Sonatrel), which oversees the project.

The Indian service providers are responsible for the design, supply, and installation of high-voltage lines for the 225 kV interconnection between the Southern Interconnected Network (RIS) and the Northern Interconnected Network (RIN) in three lots. The total value of the contract is estimated at a little more than CFA119.7 billion, with a 20-month execution period for each lot.

In detail, Kalpataru Projets International Limited secures lots 1 and 2 of the project. Lot 1, valued at CFA41.4 billion, involves high-voltage line work from Nachtigal to Yoko (Central Region). Lot 2 covers the construction of a high-voltage line from Yoko to Tibati (Adamawa Region) for CFA34.1 billion.

Lot 3 is awarded to Transrail Lighting Limited and involves the design, supply, and installation of the high-voltage line from Tibati to Wouro Soua (Adamawa Region) for CFA44.2 billion.

For these contracts, the two selected companies competed with several others, including the Synohydro consortium, whose offers were rejected for non-compliance in all three lots. Companies such as the China Railway First Group consortium, Kec International, and Larsen & Toubro, had their offers evaluated but were not selected.

Kalpataru has previously worked on several electrical projects in Africa and Cameroon, including the construction of the 225 kV power transmission line between Nkongsamba-Bafoussam and Yaoundé-Abong-Mbang. Transrail Lighting Limited, on the other hand, claims to have proven its capabilities in various projects in Africa.

With the awarding of these contracts, the construction work for this project, officially launched on November 21 in Yaoundé, is expected to commence effectively. Once completed, the project aims to supply the northern regions of Cameroon and Chad, thereby improving electricity access rates in both countries. It involves transporting the electric power generated by the Nachtigal Dam (420 MW), still under construction in the Central Region of Cameroon, over a transport network spanning more than 1,300 km to reach the Chadian city of Bongor.

Scheduled for delivery in 2027, the Project is estimated at CFA557.5 billion and is financed by the World Bank, the African Development Bank, the Islamic Development Bank, the European Union, and the two countries involved.