India looking to sell 500MW to Pakistan

Cross-border transmission line will be laid to supply power on commercial basis.

India is looking to sell 500 megawatts (MW) of electricity to Pakistan by establishing a transmission link between the two countries, according to the Business Standard – an Indian English-language daily newspaper.

“A group of experts from India and Pakistan met in Islamabad last month to explore the possibility of a 500MW cross border transmission interconnection between the neighbours for transmission of power that may be sourced by Pakistan from the Indian electricity market on commercial basis,” India’s Minister of State for Power K C Venugopal informed the Rajya Sabha – India’s Upper House of Parliament – today.

However, electricity from central and state generating stations supplying power to distribution companies is not proposed to be diverted to Pakistan, he said.

The mode of delivery is proposed to be a transmission interconnection and the duration of transmission of electricity supply will depend on the contractual arrangement of trade.

The discussions are part of the efforts to create a strong electricity grid between India and other South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation countries such as Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, according to the state-run Power Grid Corporation of India Limited.

Meanwhile, the feasibility study for an under-sea interconnection between India and Sri Lanka is under finalisation.

Fuel-deficit Pakistan had, in March this year, removed gasoline or petrol from the list of banned imports from India. It, however, allowed petrol imports only through sea routes.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 4^th, 2012.