By AVA TURNQUEST

Tribune Staff Reporter

aturnquest@tribunemedia.net

WORKS Minister Philip Davis remained tight-lipped yesterday over how many bidders were vying for each of the two contracts expected to reform BEC operations and reduce the cost of electricity.

The first bidder of the five international companies short listed will meet face-to-face with the KPMG-led committee today, according to Mr Davis, who explained that a decision will be made over whether or not to split up management of BEC’s transmission and distribution business, and generation.

“It’s just a realignment of BEC to bring in to assist in our over arching goal and commitment to lower the cost of electricity, both for businesses and local consumers,” Mr Davis said.

“Where we are now in the process is that our committee, led by our adviser KPMG, have now got in all of the queries from all of the bidders they have evaluated. We will start (today) sitting face-to-face with contenders to clarify any of the matters that we think we need to verify, and to respond to any questions they may have of us with respect to our goal once that is done.

“Once that exercise is complete,” said Mr Davis, “we will have another evaluation and a recommendation will be made to Cabinet to make a decision.”

“The decision on whether we will have two separate entities or just the one that will do both, will be arrived at after consultation,” Mr Davis said.

According to Tribune Business, Carolina-based Power Secure is understood to be the only bidder still in the running for the contract to manage BEC’s transmission and distribution business.

On the generation side, one bidder is the Caribbean Power Partners consortium, headed by Texas-based Taylor Cheek, and featuring Fluor Corporation and ProEnergy Services. Other bidders are thought to have originated from the Caribbean, China and Asia.

Commenting on recent power shortages in the eastern area, Mr Davis explained that outages were the result of poor lines and challenges with one of the engines at the Clifton power plant.

“There are two issues,” he said, “the transmission lines really need rehabilitation and one of the engines had a challenge in Clifton. They are all being addressed, our in-house engineers are repairing the engines.”