Surprise due to low prices of construction offers for Yacyretá

The executive board of the binational entity Yacyretá (EBY) yesterday opened the economic envelopes of a call for tenders for civil engineering works in Yacyretá, which will increase by 9% the amount of Electricity supplied by the hydroelectric dam. Of the five pre-selected consortia, the best offer was 46% lower than the estimates.

The tenderer 7, ATE Aña Cua ART, integrated by the Italian multinational Astaldi, the Argentine Rovela and the Paraguayan Tecnoedil, proposed a budget of 193.2 million US dollars for the realization of the works of civil engineering and certain electromechanical parts of the Aña Cua arm. from the Paraná River.

According to EBY, through private consultants, the civil works could cost about $ 360 million. The most expensive bid was almost in this category: that of Bidder 4, a consortium formed exclusively by the Argentine companies Techint, Roggio and Panedile, which had asked for $ 318.9 million.

The 670 international bidding call will end with the award in approximately 90 days (around mid-June) once the conditions of compliance and consistency of the requirements for five bidders completed. The EBY, conducted in Argentina by missionary Martín Goerling and Paraguay by Nicanor Duarte Frutos, will evaluate bid ratings, investment program, cost structure and certifications.

In addition to the bidders mentioned above, the consortia formed by the Italian Salini Impregilo and the Argentine companies Cheddiak and Iatasa (US $ 240.3 million) compete with each other in this call for tenders; that formed by the Brazilian Malucelli, Paraguayan Talavera Ortellado and Argentina Cartellone (225.1 million US dollars); and that formed by Power China with SACDE ($ 274.9 million), the construction company that businessman Marcelo Mindlin bought from Ángelo Calcaterra, the cousin of President Mauricio Macri.

Follow the controversy

In addition, the call for tenders for the work of electromechanical equipment continues to be controversial. The two pre-qualified consortiums are still in a media war to keep a company between $ 100 million and $ 120 million.

Yesterday, the Argentinian IMPSA (sold by Enrique Pescarmona to its creditors), badociated with Araverá with Power China and the Consortium of Ingeniería Electromecánica (CIE) of Paraguay, denounced a preference for the German Voith Hydro, which submitted an offer less than 16%. If this is the case, "the impact on the already defeated national metallurgical industry will be very important".

EBY plans to supply three Kaplan turbines of 92 MW each (276 MW total capacity) to be used on the left bank of the Aña Cua del Río Paraná, located opposite the Argentine city of Ituzaingó (Corrientes) and Ayolas Paraguay. .

Through the Aña Cua arm, the water flows at a rate of between 1000 and 1500 cubic meters per second (m3 / s) or between 3.6 and 5.4 million liters per hour. The hydraulic jump is 20 meters.

After decades of twists and turns, Yacyretá began producing electricity in 1994. It has an installed capacity of 4050 MW with 20 turbines with a capacity of 19 080 GWh. Yesterday afternoon, as it appeared on its website, it provided a power of 2500 MW, a figure that varies depending on the flow of water from Brazilian rivers, where the Paraná was born.