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The Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation (EEPCo)
will spend about 30 million Br to procure 600tn of a
chemical meant for treating the wooden electric
poles which hold wire electric cable.
Seeking to prolong the durability of the wooden
poles by treating them with a wood preservative
chemical, EEPCo floated a tender two months ago for
the procurement of this chemical. When the
Corporation opened the technical bid documents on
August 6, 2007, at its sport club around Mexico
Square, four international companies showed
interest.
The four bidding companies that presented their
documents to contend in the tender were from
Germany- BASF and Coarn - and Britain - Arch Timber
and Osmos.
However, one of the two German companies, Coarn was
disqualified on the spot for having failed to submit
a bid bond.
Sources at the Corporation told Fortune that
the financial offers of those companies that qualify
for the technical evaluation would be opened in
three weeks’ time.
The winner would be expected to supply the wood
preservative chemical to EEPCo within the first
three months of its awarding notification, sources
disclosed.
According to an expert, 20kg of chemical will be
used for each cubic metre of wooden poles. This type
of chemical treatment process would preserve the
wooden poles against pest damage for at least 30
years.
EEPCo’s 600tn annual
consumption of preservative chemical leapfrogged by
300pc, as the Corporation previously budgeted for
200tn of the chemical per year.
One of this year’s contenders, Osmos, won the
previous tender floated by EEPCo in August 2006, and
supplied the 200tn of chemical the Corporation used
in the past.
The rise in demand is the result of EEPCo’s huge
projects planned for this year as part of the Rural
Electrification Programme in an effort to light
numerous rural townships and localities, one senior
member of the management staff at the Corporation
told Fortune.
The effort started in 2005 to advance on the Rural
Electrification Programme by EEPCo would enhance the
current 15pc coverage of electrification up to 50pc
in the projects set to be completed in five years.
Currently, the total coverage of electricity in the
country has grown to 22pc up from 15pc some two
years. Until now 1,907 towns have been electrified,
while in the coming one year 1,714 gain service.
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