Neuquen opens Impsa-Lagarde's Chihuido II technical offer

The public works department of southern Argentina's Neuquen province has opened the technical offer submitted by local consortium Impsa-Lagarde for the Chihuido II water supply-hydroelectric plant project, public works deputy-secretary Ricardo Esteves told BNamericas. Impsa-Lagarde was the only group to pre-qualify for Chihuido II and in December submitted a bid of US$711mn - along with the technical offer - for the project. A committee has begun to review the technical offer after completing the review of the economic offer, with a decision expected end-February, said Esteves. The plant will be built on the Neuquen river some 40km from the cities of Cutral-Co and Plaza Huincal and will have installed capacity of at least 228MW, with average annual output of at least 1,052GWh. A 100km transmission line will connect the plant to the national grid. The contract covers the construction, financing and operation of the plant for 25 years from the date when energy generation begins, after which the plant would be transferred to the province. Construction time is estimated at four years. Chihuido's reservoir will cover 70 sq. km. and irrigate some 7,000ha, and also help control flooding.