[China-Venezuela Joint Fund} China funds USD 1.045 Billion El Vigia (Don Luis Zambrano Thermoelectric) Power Plant (linked to Record ID#37833, 58677)

[China-Venezuela Joint Fund} China funds USD 1.045 Billion El Vigia (Don Luis Zambrano Thermoelectric) Power Plant On September 3, 2010, CAMCE signed the construction contract for the Don Luis Zambrano Thermoelectric power plant (Spanish: Planta Termoeléctrica Don Luis Zambrano or Termoeléctrica El Vigia, Chinese: 比西亚).

It was part of an allocation of USD 5.5 billion from the China Venezuela Joint Fund to build power plants (see Record ID#37833). According to CAMCE, the original contract was worth USD 956 million. According to a 2018 National Assembly report, the original investment was USD 804 million. The cost eventually expanded to USD 1.045 billion.

The first turbine was put into use on July 31, 2013. The second turbine was connect on November 25, 2013. The third turbine was connected on January 27, 2015. The project reached full load on July 10, 2015. By this point, the total government investment in the project had increased to USD 1.145 billion.

The primary contractor was CAMC. China Energy Engineering Company (CEEC) and WorleyParsons also worked on the project. The project involved two 200 MW combined cycle Siemens turbines, and one 170 MW steam turbine. This project had a number of issues.

The attorney for CAMC was called before a special commission of the National Assembly on May 4, 2016, to account for the massive cost overruns on this and other CAMC projects in Venezuela.

The special commission also found that while costs had reached USD 1.145 billion, the value of the work done was only USD 317 million, a 60% markup.

It was alleged in a 2019 lawsuit in Andorra that CAMC paid bribes worth EUR 31 million to secure the Don Zambrano contract. There was a fire on March 12, 2018 that destroyed turbines 1 and 3.

By 2021, the plant was generating very little electricity despite promises from Maduro to improve its capacity to 450 MW and efforts to restore the second and third turbines.