Argentina's General Pico Phase II PV Tender Scale May Reach 30 MW

en.Wedoany.com Reported - Pampetrol, the state-owned energy company of La Pampa Province, Argentina, has received two bids for Phase II of the General Pico solar park. This tender round first involves building a 15 MW PV plant, with a mechanism to add a further 15 MW, bringing the new installed capacity in this phase to as much as 30 MW. Both proposals have now entered the pre-award committee review stage.

The consortium comprising Cimepro, Martínez y De La Fuente and Megatrans quoted an EPC price of USD 12,373,594; the consortium comprising Vial A and TPS Constructora quoted USD 12,826,225. Both quotes correspond to the 15 MW plant, and the tender scope includes project construction, equipment installation, grid connection, commissioning, and subsequent operation and maintenance. Under the tender arrangements, the winning partner will also form a temporary consortium with Pampetrol to implement the project.

The project adopts a public-private partnership investment structure, with the private partner bearing 80% of the investment and Pampetrol holding a 20% stake. Pampetrol will contribute existing assets to the project, including land, grid connection feasibility conditions, environmental studies, preliminary development, and the power supply contract. After completion, the electricity generated will be sold to APE, the energy authority of La Pampa Province, under a 20-year power purchase agreement, with a fixed tariff for the first 7 years and adjustments thereafter according to an agreed mechanism. Bid evaluation will consider not only project construction costs but also the electricity price quoted and the profit-sharing arrangement.

This tender round also establishes an "economic conditions matching mechanism." Under this mechanism, top-ranked prequalified companies may develop an additional 15 MW PV plant if they match the economic conditions of the winning proposal, so the actual new capacity of Phase II may reach as much as 30 MW. If this mechanism is fully implemented, the General Pico project will further expand on the previous 15 MW first phase and move toward Pampetrol's planned total installed capacity target of 50 MW.

The 15 MW first phase of General Pico was awarded in 2025 to the consortium comprising Cimepro, Martínez de la Fuente and Megatrans, also under a cooperation structure with 80% private capital and a 20% Pampetrol stake. Phase II continues this model, so the current tender covers not only the construction of PV modules, inverters, mounting structures, electrical systems and grid connection facilities, but also the complete engineering chain including EPC, commissioning and long-term operation and maintenance.