Russian engineering companies to bid for contracts to build power plants in Uruguay

Russian engineering companies are going to bid for contracts to construct electrical power plants in Uruguay, the PR department of one such company, Technopromexport, told RIA Novosti.

The agreement to the effect has been signed by Technopromexport CEO Sergei Molozhavov, Uruguayan Energy & Natural Resources Minister Jose Ignacio Villar, and Riccardo Scaglia, in charge of a government-owned electricity transmission & distribution company. The three men met in Moscow Thursday. One of the specific projects discussed at their meeting was the construction of a 400-kilometer-long electricity transmission line to link together the energy grids of Uruguay and Brazil.

According to Technopromexport, the need for the connection arises from chronic power shortages in Uruguay, where the scarcity of natural resources and the high consumption levels in cold seasons result in frequent blackouts.

The Uruguayan and Russian energy officials also considered the possibility of building several thermal electrical power plants in Uruguay. According to Technopromexport spokespeople, the company is ready to submit designs for those plants. Contracts will be awarded after the projects' technical specifications are finalized, they say.

Technopromexport was established in 1955. It is involved with the construction of energy facilities across Europe, Asia and Africa, including hydraulic, thermal, geo-thermal, and diesel power plants.