US company Bechtel representatives met with MPs of the National Movement for Simeon II Milen Velchev, Nikolai Vassilev and Antonia Parvanova to present their intention to take part in the construction of the Upper Arda cascade. The company is ready to launch construction works in March, 2002 and invest USD 200 million.
The talks were led by the company`s vice president Charles Redman. Bechtel can also undertake the construction of two motorways Orizovo-Burgas and Nis-Sofia, with investments estimated for the latter amounting to USD 250 million. The most significant projects included in Bechtel`s plans however is the Burgas-Vlyora pipeline and the tenders for the Sofia airport runway and terminal projects. The intention regarding the Upper Arda cascade was stated as early as April 3, under the condition that the Oxford consortium is approved and signs an agreement with the National Electric Company. Bechtel will be the consortium`s major contractor and take over the management of the cascade upon completion. The contract between Oxford and Bechtel was signed on March 14, 2001. Bechtel was founded in 1898 and has some 20,000 projects completed in 140 countries worldwide.