Bridging power gap: PM inaugurates 747MW units at Guddu plant

Early completion of project will lead to a saving of Rs58.6 billion.

GUDDU:

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Monday inaugurated the commissioning of additional power units at the Guddu Thermal Power Plant, which will add another 747 megawatts (MW) of electricity to the national grid at a cost of Rs60 billion.

Addressing a large gathering after the inauguration of two gas turbines of 243 MW each, the prime minister said a third unit will be operational in May, increasing the current capacity of the Guddu power plant from 1,655 MW to 2,402 MW, equivalent to four billion units of electricity.

He said the three units were part of a combined cycle plant and would generate 747 MW of electricity to bridge the demand-supply gap.

He said the early completion of the project, seven months ahead of schedule, will lead to a saving of Rs58.6 billion.

Nawaz said he was pleased to see that the efforts of the government were bearing fruit and hoped that with sustained efforts the problem of load-shedding will be over soon.

The premier regretted that in the past the slow pace of work on projects had hampered progress but hoped that the measures being adopted by the government will bring about a positive change.

He vowed that the government will ensure that funds from the national exchequer are spent transparently and on projects that benefit the masses.

Nawaz said the government is trying to enhance efficiency of existing power plants, speeding up work of ongoing projects, and planning for new projects under public-private partnership.

He also termed the project as part of the government’s efforts to meet the energy shortfall in the country and gave a detailed overview of the new projects that are underway.

He said an additional 21,000 MW of electricity will be added to the national grid in the next eight years. He was also appreciative of Chinese assistance and its company Harbin Electric International Company for completing the work on the project, seven months ahead of the deadline.

Nawaz lauded Pakistan-China ties and said he was proud of Pakistan’s friendship with its neighbour. He said the two countries were jointly working on several power projects and had promised investment of billions of dollars in different projects in Pakistan.

He said he and Sindh CM Qaim Ali Shah will soon jointly inaugurate the new Lahore-Karachi motorway.

He said work on the 1,410 MW extension IV at Tarbela, Extension V at Tarbela for 1,320 MW and 4,500 MW at Diamer and Bhasa dams has also been initiated. He said the private sector was investing in power projects and this will bring about 21,000 MW power in the next eight years.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 22^nd, 2014.