Electricity: BPE Postpones Financial Bids Opening For Distribution Firms

The Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) has postponed the opening of financial bids for the sale of electricity distribution companies, earlier scheduled for Oct. 10 to Oct. 16

A statement issued by BPE in Abuja, said the postponement was to give bidders the required 15 working days to procure and submit their post-qualification security.

The agency said the shift in date was necessitated by the time lost from the postponement of the last meeting of the National Council on Privatisation (NCP) from Sept. 13 to Sept. 18.

It assured stakeholders that all other dates in the timeline for the privatisation of the successor companies of Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) remained unchanged.

The agency reiterated that the opening of the financial bids of investors for the five generation companies, whose technical proposals met the requirement would take place as scheduled on Tuesday. .

The statement named the three bidders shortlisted for Ughelli Power as Feniks Electricity, Transcorp and Wood Rock/Symbion Power/Medea/PSL/Thomasen and Amperion Power Distribution Ltd.

For Sapele Power Plc, CMEC/EURAFRIC Energy and JBN-Nestoil Power Services were shortlisted, while Amperion Power Distribution Ltd emerged for Geregu Power Plc.

Also Mainstream Energy Solutions was shortlisted for the Kainji Power Plc while North-South Power was listed for Shiroro Power Plc.

On Afam Power Plc, the sixth generation company put up for sale, the privatisation agency said no bidder was technically qualified for the company.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that on Sept. 18, the NCP approved a list of prospective investors qualified to bid for 10 electricity distribution companies in the country.

The electricity distribution firms proposed for sale are located in Ibadan, Ikeja, Abuja, Enugu, Jos, Eko, Port Harcourt, Yola, Kano, Benin and Kaduna.

The NCP said Ikeja Distribution Company received the highest number of qualified bids with eight firms.

They are: Oando Consortium, Amperion Power Distribution Company Ltd, Honeywell Energy Resources Limited and Integrated Energy Distribution and Marketing Company.

Others are Vigeo Holdings, Gumco, African Corporation AFC and CESC, Kepco/NEDC Consortium, West Power and Gas; and Rockson Engineering.

The Eko Distribution Company received the second highest number of bids with six firms showing interest.

The bidders are Oando Consortium, Integrated Energy Distribution and Marketing Company, Sepco-Pacific Energy Consortium, Kepco/NEDC Consortium, Honeywell Energy Resources, Limited West Power and Gas as well as Rockson Engineering.

Three bidders shortlisted for Ibadan Distribution Company are Western Consortium, Integrated Energy Distribution and Marketing Company and Kepco/NEDC Consortium.

For the Abuja Distribution Firm, the NCP approved two bids, namely, Kam Consortium Utility Company Ltd and Interstate Electrics Ltd.

Also, four firms emerged for the Enugu company, namely Rensmart Power Ltd, Proglobal Power International consortium, Interstate Electrics and Eastern Electric Nigeria Ltd.

Aura Energy Limited was the only bidder for the Jos Distribution company, while Integrated Energy Distribution and Marketing Company emerged for Yola and Sahelian Power SPV Ltd was named for Kano.

Furthermore two bidders were shortlisted for the Port Harcourt Distribution Company, namely, 4Power Consortium and Rockson Engineering.

For the Benin Distribution company four firms emerged, namely, Southern Electric Distribution Company, Rensmart Power Ltd, Vigeo Power Consortium and Rockson Engineering.

The prospective bidders listed by the NCP were for 10 distribution companies, excluding the Kaduna Distribution Company.

The council said the two bids received for Kaduna were not “technically qualified’’ and added that fresh bids would be invited from all the pre-qualified bidders in respect of the company.

This implies that all the 54 companies that previously submitted technical and financial bids to acquire majority stakes in the 11 distribution companies would be eligible for the fresh bid. ?

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