Conservation: 3 consultants bidding for LED streetlights

The TEPA also plans to build a solar power plant for the streetlights.

LAHORE:

The Traffic Engineering and Transport Planning Agency has prequalified three technical consultancy companies that will bid for a Rs5.2 billion project to convert streetlights to LED and build a solar plant to power these, The Express Tribune has learnt.

Grand Thorton has already been hired as the Transaction Adviser for the project. (The Letter of Award for this was issued on March 6). The transaction adviser will prepare a financial model for the project, review its feasibility, assist in preparing the case for government approval, prepare the bidding documents and develop the public-private partnership contract.

The technical consultant will prepare a feasibility report including site selection, listing design criteria, the implementation schedule, operations and maintenance procedures, environmental impact assessment and a cost estimate. Out of the five companies that expressed interest NESPAK, Engineering Consultancy Services Punjab and Pakistan Engineering Services were picked on March 12. These companies will submit their bids by March 29. The TEPA will announce its choice in two weeks.



The streetlights network in Lahore comprises a mix of sodium, mercury vapour, fluorescent, energy saver and LED lights. There are more than 138,000 lights that consume around 14.4 MW at a cost of around Rs861 million per year.

Converting streetlights to LED could save Rs360m a year.

The TEPA has planed a 15 MW solar power plant expected to save around Rs500 million.  TEPA Chief Engineer Saeed Akhtar said the project would be developed as a public-private partnership. He said the company financing the project will be paid back from the money saved in electricity bills.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 18^th, 2014.