VALLETTA, June 4 (Reuters) - Oil major Royal Dutch Shell, Italian utility Edison and China'sstate-owned CPECC are among bidders Malta has selected to builda gas-fired power plant on the Mediterranean island, EnergyMinister Konrad Mizzi said on Tuesday.
The new combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT) plant will supply200 megawatts of electricity and is estimated to cost about 200million euros ($260.6 million).
Mizzi told a news conference the selected companies alsoinclude Abener Energia, DSME, Electrogas, Endeavour Energy, GMREnergy, Soffimat, Gestamp, Vitol and Yildirim.
They will now be required to submit more detailed proposalsbefore a final decision is taken in September. State energycompany Enemalta will buy energy from the selected company at afixed price for at least five years.
Malta currently has two power stations, though one inValletta's Grand Harbour is due to be closed. The new CCGT plantwill be added to a plant at Delimara in southern Malta.
The project is due to be completed in mid-2015 and is set tosupply a third of Malta's energy needs.
It will be up to the selected bidder to source the gas, thegovernment says. Malta does not have gas facilities so the newstation will need liquefied natural gas shipped to it weekly.
Malta is in talks with the European Union on a possible gaspipeline link with Sicily, 60 miles (96 km) north of the island.
