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Etihad Water & Electricity (EtihadWE) has tendered a contract for a techno-economic feasibility study of a proposed UAE-India undersea power interconnector.

The study aims to assess the long-term technical, economic and market viability of a power exchange between the UAE and India.

The deadline for interested firms to purchase tender documents is 23 April.

The proposed scheme would be the UAE’s first direct subsea cross-border electricity interconnector and the first direct power link between the UAE and India.

In January, MEED exclusively reported that the utility was seeking consultants to register their interest in participating in the tender process.

It is understood that firms may bid as single entities or as part of a consortium.

According to the utility, the scope of work includes developing feasible interconnection options and defining design parameters and capacity.

It will cover preliminary and survey-supported routing for the subsea cables and the identification of landing points and onshore transmission links.

The study will also provide refined cost estimates, supply-chain and execution timelines, legal and regulatory reviews, commercial frameworks, risk identification, and support for the preparation of draft tender documents and technical specifications.

In addition, it will outline bankable financing, ownership and operational structures as well as an implementation and operations schedule.

Furthermore, the consultant will be required to assess the project’s impact on the grid and optimise interconnector capacity through sensitivity studies.