The deadline for submitting bids for Umm Al Nar's newest independent water and power project (IWPP) has been extended to November 18 from September 23.

The extended date was announced after Italy's Enel Power pulled out of the bids leaving partner Belgium's Tractabel. A senior official at Umm Al Nar Power Company said the extension would also allow bidders to conduct more research and bid more competitively.

The power and desalination complex is located 10 km northeast of Abu Dhabi City.

The complex will have a capacity of about 1,100 MW and 100 million gallons per day (mgpd). A further 62.5 mgpd of desalination capacity is under construction at the complex which is expected to be commissioned before the execution of project agreements and the commercial close of the project.

The project will comprise the purchase of the new 62.5 mgpd desalination capacity and two recently commissioned units of roughly 7 mgpd with associated infrastructure and the development, financing and construction of at least 1,000 MW of new net electricity generating capacity and potentially additional water generation capacity.

Commissioning of the first of the new power units should be completed by summer 2005 and the project should be fully operational by summer 2006.

The selected developer will acquire a 40 per cent interest in the existing complex and expand it on a build-own-operate (BOO) basis.

The remaining equity will be held by the Abu Dhabi Water and Electricity Authority (Adwea).