Skypower mulls bid for Negev solar project

Sources inform ''Globes'' that Canadian renewable energy company SkyPower Corporation may participate in the tender for the Negev solar power plant at Ashalim. The $600-700 million tender is due to be published by the end of the month.

A SkyPower delegation recently visited Israel and held preliminary talks about cooperation with some of the Israeli companies planning to bid in the tender. SkyPower also asked for full information about the project from the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of National Infrastructures, and the Ministry of Environmental Protection.

SkyPower is one of Canada's largest renewable energy companies. It specializes in the development, construction, and management of wind farms and solar energy power stations. The company is currently involved in 70 renewable energy projects in various stages of development, with aggregate capacity of 7,000 megawatts (MW). Most of the projects are in Canada and the US.

The BOT (build, operate, transfer) tender is for a 250-MW solar power station that will produce 2.5% of Israel's electricity needs. Other potential builders of the plant include Israeli solar power companies Solel and Luz II, a subsidiary of BrightSource Energy, Israel Corp. unit IC Green Energy Ltd., and Housing and Construction Holding Co. Ltd. (Shikun u'Binui). Spanish energy giant Abengoa and Babcock & Brown Capital Ltd. of Australia have also expressed interest in participating in the tender.