Pre-bid Conference On Dhabeji SEZ On Dec 23

KARACHI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 22nd Dec, 2020 ) :Special Economic Zones Management Company will hold pre-bid conference on Dhabeji Special Economic Zone (SEZ) here on Wednesday, which is expected to be participated in person and via video link by a large number of businesspersons and other stakeholders.

The conference will be started at Marriott Hotel by 10:30 a.m. For online participation the link is https://zoom.us/j/93396423102. The bid documents for the project could be downloaded from https://sezmc.gos.pk/tenders. The SEZMC has invited interested parties to participate in bidding for the project.

SEZMC's Chief Executive Officer Abdul Azeem Uqaili told APP here that Sindh government was going for a rebid for the Dhabeji Special Economic Zone to be built under public-private partnership. The preferred bidder was unable to go with the commitment due to the severe impact COVID-19.

To be built on the design, build, finance, operate, and transfer (DBFOT) mode, the concessionaire would be responsible for developing the entire 1,530 acres of land according to the request for proposal document published recently. Sindh Government has recently announced to expand the Dhabeji zone by another 1500 acres. This would make Dhabeji zone an economic hub of industrialization in Karachi, he said.

The concessionaire would also need to bring enterprises to set up their facilities at the SEZ and operate and maintain the zone over 20-year concession period. A pre-bid meeting was scheduled for Dec. 23, 2020 and the last date for submission of bids would be Feb.09, 2021. The technical bids would be opened on the same day, he said.

The CEO said Dhabeji SEZ was a priority project in the industrial cooperation between Pakistan and China, which falls on the route of China Pakistan Economic Corridor.

The route stretches from western China through Pakistan to the coast of the Indian Ocean.It is part of China's Belt and Road initiative aimed to connect Asia, Africa, and Europe through a vast network of highways, rail lines, and sea routes. The zone was well-connected to both Karachi Port and Port Qasim by rail and road. In addition, the project would have an uninterrupted supply of electricity, gas, and water.

He said Dhabeji SEZ project was expected to generate one billion Dollars investment. Besides, it would generate 100,000 direct and indirect jobs. The development cost of the project was estimated at 120 million dollars.

For connecting the zone with Port Qasim, a jetty from creek side was envisaged to facilitate export oriented industries. In addition, a dedicated railway cargo deck from the zone to the railway Mainline-1 (ML-1) near Dhabeji junction was being planned to provide direct logistical connectivity with upcountry for transportation of finished goods.

He said Sindh and Federal governments had committed to spend more than 10 billion rupees for external infrastructure to provide the utilities at the doorstep and access the zone. A dedicated 220 kV grid station of Rs 4.3 billion was being established by Dec. 2023 through federal PSDP at the doorstep of Dhabeji zone by federal government through NTDC. Also a dedicated gas network was under construction to provide 15 mmcfd gas by Sui Southern Gas Company Limited which would be completed in December 2021. Direct road connecting the Port Qasim with Dhabeji and a dedicated water channel to provide 10 MGD were being being constructed by Sindh government.