Questions raised over Swansea tidal deal with CHEC

A Belgian company has raised questions over the regularity of £300 mln contract appointment of China Harbour Engineering Company as the preferred bidder for delivering marine works for the Swansea Bay tidal lagoon, UK media report.

According to The Guardian, the unnamed Belgian contractor who lost the bid to China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) has filed a complaint over alleged improper contract award to CHEC.

It is unclear on what ground has the Belgian company based their claims on, The Guardian reports.

Tidal Lagoon Power announced on June 3 that it has named CHEC as the preferred bidder for the construction of the 9.6 km long lagoon wall – including bund wall and coffer dam, as well as sourcing and transporting rock armour and materials to Swansea Bay.

The announcement was made ahead of planning consent approval issued on June 9 by the Secretary of State Amber Rudd.

“We are aware of these allegations. However, this is a completely separate matter to the planning decision,” a spokeswoman from the DECC was quoted as saying by The Guardian. “As such, this does not impinge on the government’s decision to grant planning consent for the Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoon project.”

China Harbour Engineering Company is a state-owned company operating in the fields of marine engineering, dredging and reclamation, road and bridge, railway, airport, and equipment assembly.

Image: Tidal Lagoon Swansea Bay