Re-tender of transmission project not against court ruling: PLN

State electricity company PT PLN said that its re-tender of the US$75 million Klaten-Tasikmalaya transmission project was not against the Jakarta Administrative Court's by-law ruling.

PLN spokesman Alfian Helmy Nasution said that the court's by-law ruling did not mention at all about the re-tendering. The court only ordered PLN to postpone the implementation of PLN's letter dated May 11 that canceled the notification of award to a consortium led by Bukaka Teknik Utama as the winner in the tendering of the project.

Moreover, Helmy said that PLN had filed its disagreement with the by-law ruling, considering that the re-tendering of the 500 KV transmission project was for the interest of the public.

"Therefore, the re-tendering must proceed, and PLN pleads to the panel of judges at the administrative court to reject Bukaka's lawsuit," Helmy said.

Bukaka has wanted that PLN postpone the re-tendering of the project until there is a definite court ruling.

But PLN has proceeded with the re-tendering process, and accepted the proposal from eight foreign or joint venture companies to participate in the re-tendering process.

The eight companies are a consortium of Fujikoru-Wijaya Karya, Hyundai Construction, Siam Indische de La Mega Construction, and a consortium of Saudi Cable-Samsung-LG-Twink-Simasindo, Sumitomo-BBSI, Alstom-Multifed-Jembo Construction, Energo Adidaya Construction and (8) Asea Brown Bovery (ABB).

Bukaka Teknik Utama president Ahmad Kalla said he regretted PLN's move of continuing with the re-tendering process of the project while the case was still being heard by the court. (*)