Jagdulla Hydropower Company Limited has issued a letter of intent for the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract under civil and hydro-mechanical. The company issued the letter of intent on Tuesday, stating that Jiangxi Construction Engineering (Group) Corporation (China) and ANK Construction Nepal JV, which had offered a tax-free amount of Rs 12.15 billion in the financial proposal, are eligible.

If dissatisfied, Sino Hydro Corporation can file a complaint with the Public Procurement Review Committee within 15 days against the letter of intent, said Sanjay Sapkota, the company's CEO. "If no complaint is received against the letter of intent, a letter should be written to Jiangxi Construction Engineering (Group) Corporation (China) and ANK Construction Nepal JV asking them to sign the agreement within 15 days," he said. Sapkota said that the contract will be awarded only after the company completes the process of deposit, bank guarantee, etc.

China's Hezhou Shangcheng Electric Power Company has informed the Jagdulla Company through an 'email' on Jestha 20 that it has not issued any certificate confirming the completion of the Shangcheng Hydropower Project and has used its company name without authorization.

The email states that the 90-megawatt Shangcheng Hydropower Project was to be built, but it was canceled due to financial reasons and was not built. "If the name of 'Shangcheng Electric Power Company' or 'Shangcheng Hydropower Station' is used or false claims are made to enter into agreements or receive funds, our company is not involved in it," the email states. "We do not take responsibility for any such activities."

Sapkota said that although the 'email' sent by Hezhou Shangcheng Electric Power Company was received, its authenticity has not been confirmed. "The email that we used to communicate with Jiangxi Construction Engineering (Group) Corporation (China) but the certificate issuing organization used by Jiangxi has sent the email, should it be considered official or not?" he said. "The authenticity of the email has not been confirmed."

The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CIB) are also investigating the complaint filed by Sino Hydro regarding the Jagdulla Hydropower Project contract. Sapkota says that the writ petition filed by Siu Infrastructure and High Himalaya Hydro Construction JV has been scheduled for hearing on Jestha 21 and that the process has been moved forward saying that the investigation is being conducted by the Authority and the CIB as well. The Patan High Court has already refused to issue an interim order on the writ.