220kv Ghazi Grid Station begins operation

Project aimed at improving voltage profile in Lahore

LAHORE:

The government is committed to providing all basic necessities to the masses and the Ghazi Grid Station will bring further relief to the consumers of Lahore in the form of improved voltage profile, said Federal Minister for Education and Professional Training Shafqat Mahmood.

At the inaugural ceremony of 220-kilovolt GIS Ghazi Grid Station, Mahmood reaffirmed that the political leadership was making all-out efforts to provide electricity to the consumers at affordable prices.

The minister recalled that the independent power producers (IPPs) had emerged during the power crisis in the 1990s and the present government approached the IPPs to review their agreements in a bid to slash electricity prices.

“The government is already in negotiations with the IPPs and hopefully meetings will be fruitful and help curtail circular debt,” he said.

The minister directed the Lahore Electric Supply Company (Lesco) CEO for swiftly addressing consumers’ complaints. The prime target of power distribution companies should be to satisfy the consumers, he said.

Speaking on the occasion, National Transmission and Despatch Company (NTDC) Managing Director Dr Khawaja Riffat Hassan said the company successfully commissioned and energised the 220kv Ghazi Grid Station at a cost of Rs5,664.24 million.

“A major portion of funds was provided by KfW Germany while the remaining was arranged through NTDC’s own resources,” he said. The official pointed out that the 220kv grid station had total capacity of 750MVA.

The project is connected with the 500kv NTDC Grid Station Lahore (South) for the transmission of power from the Balloki re-gasified liquefied natural gas (RLNG) power plant and Sahiwal coal-fired power plant to Lesco areas, he said.

Citing that the German Development Cooperation and KfW had appreciated government’s efforts for the power sector, he said Pakistan and Germany had always enjoyed warm relations.

“The German government, through KfW, provided financing of €11.29 million for this project,” he said. “The support provided to the government of Pakistan will help address constraints in the transmission network of the power sector.”

This project has strengthened NTDC’s transmission system along with a reduction in the load on 220/132kv transformers feeding Lesco load centres from NTDC grid stations at Ravi, New Kot Lakhpat, Bund Road, Kala Shah Kaku, Sarfaraz Nagar and Sheikhupura.

He stressed that the project would also improve voltage profile and system reliability of Lesco and the NTDC grid system.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 25^th, 2020.

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