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Rijkswaterstaat, which is part of the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Environment, has selected a consortium composed of Besix, Rebel Group and TDPartners  as the preferred bidder for the Beatrix lock public private partnership (PPP) project in the Netherlands.

The team beat out competition for two other bidders: the BEA3X consortium, composed of BAM PPP, VolkerInfra and DIF and the team made up  TBI & CFE & Dredging International.

According to sources, Heijmans will have a one third share in the combination responsible for the construction (EPC) and will participate in the special purpose company (SPC) to be created for this purpose.

The project includes the construction of a third sluice chamber, the widening of the Lek Canal and the construction of lock approaches and berths in the canal. The Lek Canal, which incorporates the Princess Beatrix Lock, connects the Amsterdam Rhine Canal with the Lek River, and is an important waterway between the ports of Rotterdam and Amsterdam.

The project will be developed on a design, build, finance and maintenance (DBFM) basis. Work is expected to commence in September 2016. The third chamber of the Beatrix Lock and the widened Lek Canal are to be completed in 2019, after which the 27-year maintenance period will go into effect.

The total project investment is estimated at €200 million (US$214.4 million). The financial close is expected to occur in the first quarter of 2016. In ealry June this year we reported that the EIB indicated that it may provide up to 50% of the senior debt requirement for the project. The remaining 50% would be provided by commercial funders.

The main objectives of the project are to provide additional capacity to the existing lock complex, decrease vessel waiting times and ensure smooth, reliable and safe traffic of motor cargo vessels of up to CEMT Class VIa along the Lek Canal, which is located in the North Sea - Baltic Core Network Corridor.

We have recently reported on several PPP projects in Europe:

• Ceuta car park PPP project - Spain
• D4 - R7 expressways PPP project - Slovakia
• Pudasjärvi timber care facility - Finland
• A28 Rouen-Alençon motorway - France
• 21.5 MW Bio Power waste biomass project - United Kingdom
• Expressway R4 PPP project - Czech Republic