Vattenfall Power Consultant have signed an agreement, worth EUR 500,000, for a feasibility study of new power lines and accompanying transformer stations in Malaysia.
The deal took form after an unexpected email in March. ”Quite out of the blue, a request turned up to provide a tender to carry out a power system study in Malaysia,” says Thomas Melkersson, who is in charge of the tendering process.
During the 90s, consultants from Vattenfall, then under the name of SwedPower, carried out a number of assignments for the state-run power company Sarawak Energy Berhad in Malaysia. These assignments left their mark, and the power company now renewed their contact with Vattenfall Power Consultant.
Vattenfall Power Consultant began work with the tender at the end of March. About 10 international companies were invited to provide tenders , but it was clear from the outset that the Swedish proposal was in with a good chance. Thomas Melkersson was invited to agreement negotiations on site in Malaysia in July and in the middle of August, the agreement was signed.
Our price was not the lowest, but they accepted our proposal almost straight up. It was obvious that they really wanted us on board for this assignment," says Thomas Melkersson.
Vattenfall Power Consultant will carry out advanced network studies of an entirely new network that will be the backbone of a future power system. Building a new 500 kV HVAC network is the top priority, but the project also involves the study of alternative locations for a HVDC transmission from Sarawak on the island of Borneo to Peninsular Malaysia.
How to solve this in the best possible way will now be analysed by a team of engineers from Division Wind Power & Networks.
Malaysia is going through a period of expansion and there are also plans for a major expansion of hydro power facilities on Borneo. A gigantic power plant producing 2,400 MW is under construction and additional large projects are in the pipeline.
”This is an interesting part of the world, with a large potential on offer. The project will be a valuable reference for us in future business deals,” says Thomas Melkersson.