MBABANE – The Eswatini Electricity Company (EEC) has signed a 427 million Emalangeni contract with two Indian-based companies for the construction of the much-anticipated Network Reinforcement and Access Project (NRAP) in the Shiselweni region funded through a loan from the World Bank.
According to an official statement from EEC, “The project entails the construction of a 132kV transmission line from Nhlangano to Lavumisa plus three 132/11kV substations at Hluthi, Matsanjeni and Lavumisa. Two Indian-based companies Transrail Lighting Ltd and Kalpataru Power Transmission Ltd were the successful bid winners for the multi-million project.”
“A contract of engagement was signed yesterday between the two companies and EEC at the Eluvatsini House (EEC Head Office) by EEC Managing Director Ernest Mkhonta and officials from the two companies. The contract signing ceremony essentially marks the beginning of this multi-million landmark project,” reveals the statement.
It goes to detail that “Transrail Lighting was awarded US$ 10,681,997.35 for the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) of the transmission line from Nhlangano to Lavumisa. Kalpataru Power Transmission Ltd, on the other hand, signed a $15,007,170.64 EPC contract for the 132kV/11kV Substations of the NRAP project. The EPC contractors will further test and commission the electromechanical infrastructure and timing for the completion for both projects is crucial.”
EEC’s Ernest Mkhonta stated that the signing ceremony was a remarkable achievement by the Company in this watershed project since it was initiated in 2017. The project is in the top priority projects set out under a 10-year Transmission Grid Development Plan prepared by EEC and was approved by the Government of the Kingdom of Eswatini.
“This is an important project for Eswatini and EEC. It is aligned with our corporate strategy where we seek to increase transmission and distribution efficiency and reliability in order to increase our operational excellence,” Mkhonta said.
The time for completion of all the facilities under this project will be eighteen months from the start of contract.
“Kalpataru Power Transmission Ltd’s Ashish Rajpurohit, who is Manager, Projects Execution – Substations International Projects, expressed his appreciation to EEC and the Government of Eswatini for trusting them and affording them the opportunity to undertake this project pledging to deliver as per the contract requirements,” further reveals the statement.
“According to the EEC MD, the two companies engaged for this project were procured following the World Bank Procurement Guidelines which are also aligned with the local Procurement Act. The two emerged winners among other bidders from Egypt, China and South Africa.
The Government of the Kingdom of Eswatini (GoKE) received funding from the World Bank’s International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) for the purposes of implementing the NRAP. This is a E780 Million project that seeks to improve the quality and reliability of electricity supply and increase access to electricity for over 8000 homesteads in the Shiselweni region. The project will contribute immensely to the development of Shiselweni and provide much needed opportunities for jobs and commercial entities during construction. In the long term the reliability of the power supply in the region will attract more investments,” concludes the statement.
