The government-owned utilities firm Upper North Utilities Limited (UNUL) has signed an agreement with US firm Merciel International to provide utilities to all islands in the country’s upper north province.
Merciel International CEO Bradley Smegal and UNUL Managing Director Abdulla Waheed signed the US$180 million agreement yesterday at a ceremony attended by President Mohamed Nasheed.
In an interview with newspaper Haveeru, Smegal said the company would have up to a 40 percent share in the joint venture.
“We have already got the funds in hand. It has been one and a half years since we started working on this project. We will be able to start the works in Uligamu within the next two weeks. Currently, we are also bottling water in one of the islands,” he told the newspaper.
Smegal the company would produce bio-fuel to power diesel generators and explore other environmental methods of power generation as well.
“More than half of the [three-atoll] province’s citizens will get cooking gas without any difficulty within 60 days of signing the agreement,” claimed General Manager of UNUL Ali Hashim.