Panama Canal Will Invest $2B in Water Infrastructure to Ensure Competitiveness

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Investing to Ensure Competitiveness

In order to ensure the supply of drinking water supply to half of the Panamanian population for the next 50 years, achieve water sustainability in its operations and guarantee its competitiveness, the Panama Canal will invest $2 billion.

Wednesday, September 9, 2020

The disbursement of the $2 billion will become the second highest investment made by the Panama Canal, since it invested $5.5 billion for its expansion, which will be completed in 2016.

To make this investment, the Panama Canal has called for those interested in participating as bidders in the public tender for the design, construction and implementation of an optimized water resource management system that will ensure the availability of water for human consumption and operations, as well as the competitiveness of the interoceanic waterway in the short, medium and long term, considering the sustainable development and socio-environmental management of the area.

This has started the process for the development of an optimized water resource management system that considers a portfolio of projects to strengthen and modernize the current system and guarantee water supply for half of the country's population, concentrated in the provinces of Panama, Colon and West Panama, in addition to the operation of the Canal, for the next 50 years, the institution said in a statement.

Ricaurte Vasquez Morales, administrator of the Panama Canal, said that "... Ensuring operational water levels, in a sustainable manner, is fundamental to the long-term viability of the Panama Canal. The historically low water levels in recent years only reinforced the need to adopt a comprehensive plan."

Interested parties should request the bases and submit, no later than November 12, financial and technical information, along with the history of successful project execution, which will be evaluated by the Panama Canal to choose the best pre-qualified by the end of this year.

The prequalified will then receive the tender documents with the requirements to prepare and submit, in the last quarter of 2021, their value proposal identifying a portfolio of projects for the projected management, in an integrated manner, of the water resources of the Panama Canal.

"The improved water management system seeks to meet the water challenge by modernizing and strengthening the administration of water resources, considering technological and engineering elements, framed in efficiency, integrated management of water resources and the social and environmental management that distinguishes the projects of the inter-oceanic waterway," explained the Panama Canal.

 

https://www.centralamericadata.com/en/article/main/Investing_to_Ensure_Competitiveness