Malaysia-based conglomerate Genting Group; China State Construction and Engineering Corporation; Inter-Energy, a Cayman-based company; Texas-based Caribbean Power Partners and Bahamas-based Northern Bahamas Utilities Holdings Company (NBU), along with U.S.-based Pike corporation and PowerSecure are among the companies who paid the $25,000 fee to participate in the request for proposal for the Bahamas Electricity Corporation, Guardian Business has been reliably informed.
While a confidentiality clause in the terms of their participation has stopped much information from being released to the public on who is involved in the process, this newspaper has been told by several sources close to the matter that Genting, China State Construction and Engineering, Inter-Energy and Caribbean Power Partners were interested primarily in being involved on the generation side, while Pike, who was partnering with NBU, and PowerSecure were seeking the transmission and distribution contract.
The Bahamian group, NBU, a utility engineering and consulting firm composed of four former management and engineering employees of Grand Bahama Power Company, is reported to have exited the process, according to several sources close to the process, as has the Genting Group.
Northern Bahamas Utilities had initially partnered with PowerSecure, but was removed from the submission after NBU is understood to have determined that it would also enter into a partnership with Pike.
Guardian Business
understands that with Pike and NBU now out of the process, this may just leave PowerSecure in the running for the management contract to take over BEC's transmission and distribution functions and assets, which will be transferred into a new company.
Carlton Bosfield, president of NBU, yesterday declined to comment on his involvement in the BEC RFP process, including whether he remains involved.
His exit, however, would fit with recent comments made by Deputy Prime Minister Philip Brave Davis, who indicated that no Bahamian companies were involved in the RFP process, after one fell out in the second stage.
PowerSecure's Senior Vice President for Investor Relations and Corporate Communications John Bluth yesterday declined to comment on any participation by PowerSecure in the RFP process, which calls upon participating companies to be bound by a non-disclosure agreement.
Guardian Business yesterday received mixed signals as to whether KPMG has submitted its final recommendations to the government on which company should be treated as "preferred bidders" in the BEC reform process. While these recommendations are believed to be imminent, enabling the government to move into the negotiation phase, it could not be confirmed if they have yet been put forward.
Based on information received by this newspaper so far, recommendations on the transmission and distribution side will be more straightforward, given the exit of Pike and their partner, NBU, from the process. Meanwhile, on the generation side, three companies could still be in the running.
Bidding for transmission and distribution responsibilities, PowerSecure is a publicly-listed North-Carolina-based sustainable energy company. It made itself known to the Bahamian public prior to the BEC RFP process began in mid-August in an interview with Guardian Business in which it touted its "smart grid" solution with "distributed energy" that would see smaller-scale "firm solar" power generation throughout The Bahamas.
PowerSecure Chief Sales Officer Mark Martyak said at that time, which was prior to the government issuing the redefined RFP, that PowerSecure's intention was to take advantage of The Bahamas' abundant solar resources, while backing this up with diesel or natural gas-powered generation.
Guardian Business understands that among the "core competencies" highlighted by PowerSecure as relevant to its bid to take over transmission and distribution responsibilities - these include having installed over 1,600 miles of T&D lines in the last five years; having 300 commercial vehicles involved in construction and maintenance of power lines, most of which are based in South Florida; serving numerous U.S. utilities; having over 1,500MWs of distributed generation capacity installed and controlled on a "turnkey basis" for U.S. utility demand response and load management purposes; and specializing in utility scale solar power, among other factors.
On the generation side, the Genting Group is best known for their investment in the resort sector, in particular in Bimini, in the form of the currently controversial Resorts World Bimini project.
That project saw the Malaysia-based conglomerate purchase the former Bimini Bay Resort, and swiftly begin to significantly expand the development.
The company's plans to build a ferry terminal on the island are now the subject of a legal action by the Bimini Blue Coalition, which hopes to obtain an injunction and a judicial review of the project in light of concerns as to whether permits were properly obtained, and potential damage to the surrounding environment.
The multinational company is primarily focused on the leisure and hospitality sector, but does have some experience in power generation.
China State Construction and Engineering Corporation is a state-owned Chinese company that primarily focuses on large-scale construction projects. They are presently best known as the parent company of Baha Mar general contractor, China Construction America.
Guardian Business understands that they have also been involved in installing significant generation capacity globally.
Caribbean Power Partners, led by Texan principal, Taylor Cheek, also came forward prior to the official launch of the redefined BEC RFP process, touting their $700 million proposal for a power plant in Nassau that they suggested could have $15.4 billion impact on the Bahamian economy over a 25-year span.
Their build/own/operate solution, in partnership with Fluor Corporation, a major power plant construction company which has installed the largest volume of generation capacity globally of all of the entities bidding, would have seen the company become an independent power producer selling power back to BEC as a means of reducing energy costs. It is not clear how their proposal has evolved since they entered the RFP process.
Inter-Energy, meanwhile, is one of the largest investors in the power sector of the Dominican Republic, and describes itself as a "renewable energy pioneer" in the country where it established its first wind generation park.
The company's website sites plans to leverage its experience and expansion in the Dominican Republic in order to enter other markets in the Caribbean and Latin American region.

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