SMC unit bags notice of award for NMIA project
THE infrastructure arm of San Miguel Corp. (SMC) secured on Wednesday the notice of award for the listed conglomerate’s proposed P734-billion New Manila International Airport (NMIA) project.
In a statement, the Department of Transportation (DoTr) said it had issued to San Miguel Holdings Corp. the contract to construct and operate the new air hub in Bulakan town, Bulacan province.
The Ang-led company added it would need to meet certain requirements, including posting performance security and proof of commitment, before the government could award it the notice to proceed.
“Finally, we can push forward with the Bulacan International Airport….” Transportation Undersecretary for Planning and Projection Implementation Benny Reinoso was quoted as saying in the statement, using the project’s alternate name. “Once operational, this new airport will give connectivity options to our citizens.”
The statement comes a day after SMC said it had commissioned Groupe ADPi, Meinhardt Group and Jacobs to design the NMIA, which is expected to decongest the country’s main gateway, the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, once it is built.
The three international firms took part in Singapore’s Chiangi Airport, the United States’ Atlanta Airport and France’s Charles de Gaulle Airport.
It also comes after no other company or group presented offers that are better than SMC’s unsolicited proposal in a Swiss challenge that ended on July 31.
The company bagged original proponent status for the project in October 2017.
Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade earlier said construction of the air hub should begin by the fourth quarter of 2019.
In a previous statement, the department said the project, to be built on 2,500 hectares of land in Bulakan, included constructing an 8.4-kilometer tollway linking the NMIA to the North Luzon Expressway in Bulacan’s Marilao town.
The airport will have a design capacity of 100 million passengers yearly, and airside facilities with a configuration of four parallel runways.
It is expected to be operational within four to six years from the start of construction.
SMC shares shed P2.70 or 1.53 percent to close at P174.30 apiece on Wednesday.