Technical assessment for sub-sea interconnection

REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST (CONSULTING SERVICES – FIRMS SELECTION)

Saint Kitts and Nevis Resilient Renewable Energy Infrastructure Investment Facility Project

Loan No./Credit No./ Grant No.: _ GFPP Grant No. TF0C9072

Assignment Title: Grid Modernization and Submarine Cable Interconnection Study

Reference No . (as per Procurement Plan): KN-MPIEU-528498-CS-CDS

The Government of Saint Kitts and Nevis has received financing from the World Bank toward the cost of the Preparation Grant for the Caribbean Resilient Renewable Energy Infrastructure Investment Facility – SOP2, and intends to apply part of the proceeds for consulting services.

The consulting services (“the Services”) include a study that shall explicitly address the climate and disaster-risk vulnerabilities typical of Small Island Developing States (SIDS), including hurricane and cyclone resilience of grid and submarine cable infrastructure, seismic and volcanic hazard exposure characteristic of the Lesser Antilles, and regional energy-security cooperation.

The assignment will be for a duration of 10 months and shall deliver a technically robust, investment-ready roadmap for modernizing the electrical grids of Saint Kitts and Nevis and interconnecting them via submarine cable, enabling full integration of renewable energy — including the proposed 30–50 MW geothermal plant, utility-scale solar PV, wind, and battery energy storage systems (BESS) — into a resilient, climate-responsive grid. Specific objectives include: Grid Modernization: assess and redesign transmission and distribution infrastructure on both islands, including reconfiguration to a 69 kV ring topology, to reduce losses, improve reliability, and prepare the network for high renewable penetration.

Geothermal Integration: evaluate and specify transmission and substation requirements for delivering up to 50 MW of geothermal generation to both islands.

Submarine and Terrestrial Cable Interconnection: develop a technical, economically, and environmentally sound interconnection plan, including demonstrated technology and voltage selection, route selection, redundancy analysis, cable protection, terrestrial corridor works, and landing-point substation design.

Smart Grid and Digitalization: Design the SCADA architecture and associated Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI), Distributed Energy Resource Management Systems (DERMS), cybersecurity protocols, and integration pathways for electric vehicles (EV’s and energy storage

Preliminary Environmental and Social Assessment: Prepare preliminary E&S studies for the 1) submarine cable and terrestrial route survey design, and 2) transmission ring topology and substation design. Ensure full compliance with the World Bank Environmental and Social Framework (ESF), Environmental, Health and Safety Guidelines (EHSGs), and international technical standards (IEC, IEEE, ICPC). Risk and Climate Resilience: establish a risk management framework (register, quantification, escalation, contingency planning) and a climate vulnerability assessment covering extreme-weather and geohazard resilience.

Capacity Building: transfer technical knowledge to SKELEC, NEVLEC, and government agencies through structured training and documentation.[i]

The Terms of Reference (TOR) for the primary procurement stage for the assignment are attached to this request for expressions of interest.

The Ministry of Public Infrastructure et. al. now invites eligible consulting firms (“Consultants”) to indicate their interest in providing the Services. Interested Consultants should provide information demonstrating that they have the required qualifications and relevant experience to perform the Services. The shortlisting criteria are: The Consultant shall assemble a multidisciplinary team of international and local experts, each with a minimum of 10 years of relevant experience and a demonstrated track record on World Bank or comparable development-partner–funded projects in small island power systems (see TOR for composition of the team). Key Experts will not be evaluated at the shortlisting stage.

The attention of interested Consultants is drawn to Section III, paragraphs, 3.14, 3.16, and 3.17 of the World Bank’s “Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers” February 2025, setting forth the World Bank’s policy on conflict of interest. In addition, please refer to the following specific information on conflict of interest related to this assignment:

Unfair Competitive Advantage

3.17 Fairness and transparency in the selection process require that Consultants or their affiliates, competing for a Consulting assignment do not derive a competitive advantage from having provided Consulting Services related to it. To that end, the Borrower shall make available to all short-listed Consultants, together with the request for proposals document, all information that would give a Consultant a competitive advantage.

Consultants may associate with other firms to enhance their qualifications, but should indicate clearly whether the association is in the form of a joint venture and/or a sub-consultancy. In the case of a joint venture, all the partners in the joint venture shall be jointly and severally liable for the entire contract, if selected.

A Consultant will be selected in accordance with the Consultant Qualification Selection method set out in the Procurement Regulations.

This EOI can be found on the following websites:

https: //mopieudt.gov.kn/study

https: //[contact details removed]

Further information can be obtained at the address below during office hours 0900 to 1600 hours.

Expressions of interest must be delivered in a written form to the address below (in person, or by mail, or by fax, or by e-mail by 22nd October, 2026 .

Ministry of Public Infrastructure, Energy and Utilities

Attn: [contact details removed]

Rams Commercial Complex Camps St. Kitts

Tel: [contact details removed]

E-mail: [contact details removed]

TERMS OF REFERENCE

Grid Modernization and Submarine Cable Inte