Five bids submitted to lay Dahej to Uran pipeline
Despite delays in the selection of the pipes, theres no delay in GAILs target of laying the Dahej to Uran gas pipeline by February 2007.
Work is going on simultaneously and on schedule for other aspects of this crucial pipeline that will bring regassified LNG from Gujarat to factories in Maharashtra. On 2nd December in Delhi, GAIL received bids for its tender to lay the pipeline.
GAILs project management consultant Tractebel has divided the 483-km pipeline into three spreads. PETROWATCH learns five bidders are interested.
Three of the five bidders have offered to lay the first two spreads, while two bidders have offered to lay all the three spreads. For the 144-km and 30-inch diameter Dahej to Jalalpur stretch (Spread 1) bids have been submitted by Larsen & Toubro, Punj Lloyd, Stroytransgaz-Gammon India, Zen Gas-Kalpataru Power Transmission and Essar Constructions-DQE International (China).
All the above companies are competing for Spread 2, which runs from Jalalpur to Bhoirpada over a distance of 147-km and will be of 30-inch diameter. Only two companies have offered to lay Spread 3 as well: Punj Lloyd and the Stroytransgaz-Gammon India consortium.
Spread 3 is made up of six sections: 108-km and 30-inch diameter Bhoirpada to Panvel stretch; the 35-km and 24-inch diameter Panvel to Uran stretch; the 6-km and 18-inch Uran to Maharashtra State Electricity Board stretch; the 9-km and 18-inch Haji Malangwadi to Deepak Fertilisers stretch; and, the 40-km and 24-inch Haji Malangwadi to Trombay stretch. The third spread is a very complicated route, says a source.
Thats why theres not much interest in it. GAIL expects recommendations from Tractebel by end-December.
Weve set an internal date of end December to open the price bids, says a GAIL source. If everything goes as planned, GAIL wants to award contracts by December.
The selected contractor(s) will have to mobilise large machinery on site within three or four weeks of the LoI. GAIL also wants to drawn up a timetable for the welding and laying procedures.