Common Centre for Electricity Sector Stakeholders in Gestation

Bidders of a multi-purpose business-centre project presented their various designs Tuesday July 17, 2012.

Stakeholders in the electricity sector in the country, notably the Electricity Sector Regulatory Agency (ARSEL), the Electricity Development Corporation (EDC) and the Rural Electrification Agency (AER) are bracing up to lodge their services in one building. This is with the goal of not only engendering the much-cherished investment in the sector, but also to play host to diverse businesses capable of catapulting the economy to boom.

The dream is contained in a project code-named Electricity Tower Project (TOUREL) which consists in designing, constructing, maintaining and exploiting a multi-purpose business-centre that will host the services of various public actors of the electricity sector amongst which ARSEL, AER and EDC. The various bidders for the project on Tuesday July 17 in the Conference Hall of ARSEL in Yaounde presented their designs to the project's supervisory commission. These included a South African/Kenyan consortium, Umnombo, and another from Madrid Spain, PIA Consortium.

Their presentations included the architectural design of the project, the energy sources, drainage systems, financing mechanisms, packing and other services characteristic of a state-of-the-art structure of that nature. According to the architectural option provided by the vote holders, the multi-purpose business-centre complex should integrate a building of at least 30 storeys, with an option for secondary buildings, and should have built-up areas arranged to ensure harmony of the different functions within the complex. These included the offices of ARSEL, AER and EDC, with approximately 11,000 square metres of expressed needs, administration and private companies, including meeting rooms, conferences or public hearings, banks, insurance, restauration facility with a panoramic view, tourism with the possibility of viewing the city from the top of the tower, medical services with a medical centre, dental clinic and a pharmacy, laundry with dry cleaning, sport facilities with a gym hall and space for other collective sports. The project is to be executed under the partnership contract mode of Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT). Speaking during the presentation ceremony, the Director General of ARSEL, Jean Pierre Kedi, said the project is a jewel on the neck of the country, and goes in line with the Head of State's policy of 'Greater Accomplishment'. According to the calendar, the partnership contract with the contractor is to be signed in November and going by one of the aspirants, 42 months could be needed to deliver the gigantic project.