Alstom’s majority owned Indian subsidiary is to deliver the units and equipment and have the order fulfilled by June 2011. The order is worth just over US$87M and was awarded by Italian turnkey contractor Salini.

The order is for five 51MW Kaplan turbines, generators, balance of plant and hydromechanical equipment, and to erect, commission and hand over. API is to undertake the order at its facility in Vadodara, India.

The hydropower project is being developed by Bujagali Energy Ltd (BEL), which is a JV between Kenya-based Industrial Promotion Services (IPS) and US-based Sithe Global Power.

The European Investment Bank (EIB) has signed a Euro92M (US$135M) loan to help fund the construction of the scheme on the upper Nile river.

Bujagali has been under development since the 1990s and the developer changed. Last year support from the World Bank unleashed a wave of support from other banks and agencies. Construction work started in the last half of 2007 and the scheme is to be commissioned in 2011.