Construction of power transmission line to begin in two months

LAHORE: The construction work on the 878-kilometre high voltage direct current Matiari-Lahore Transmission Line Project worth $1.57 billion will be initiated under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) in two months, a National Transmission and Despatch Company (NTDC) spokesman said on Sunday.

Talking to APP, the spokesman said 4,000 megawatts power would be generated using coal-based thermal power plants in Thar, Port Qasim and Hub. He said the project would be completed in 24 to 30 months.

He said two HVDC transmission lines from Matiari to Lahore and Port Qasim to Faisalabad had been planned under the CPEC projects. He said agreement in this regard had been signed between the NTDC and the State Grid Corporation of China (SGCC/CET). “The HVDC projects will be executed in two phases under Government of Pakistan Transmission Policy-2015 on build, own, operate and transfer (BOOT) basis,” he said. The spokesman said that HVDC Matiari-Lahore project would be launched in the first phase.

“The project will include two convertor stations with alternating current switching stations in Matiari and Lahore,” he said. He said the project included electrode grounding stations. “The Lahore converter station and its corresponding switching station will be set up four kilometres west of Balloki, near Bhai Pheru,” he said.

He said the Matiari station would be located on National Highway, eight kilometres north of Siakhart village.

“The 4,000 MW power evacuated through 660 KV HVDC Matiari-Lahore Transmission Line will be obtained from Port Qasim Coal Project in Karachi, Shanghai Electric in Thar, Engro Thar Coal Project and HUBCO Coal Project Balochistan,” he said.

He said these projects would be completed by 2020.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 19^th, 2016.