Ahmed Mukhtar Naqshbandi
ISLAMABAD: The Private Power and Infrastructure Board announced on Wednesday the achievement of the Commercial Operation Date of Pakistan’s largest Thar coal-based power project, located at Thar Block-1.
With a production capacity of 1,320 MW, the Shanghai project is a part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
Thar Coal Block-1 Power Generation Co., a subsidiary of Shanghai Electric. It has attracted valuable foreign direct investment of $1.912 billion which is expected to generate 9 billion units of electricity per annum with anticipated savings of Rs250 billion/annum.
PPIB said in a statement that the successful commissioning of the project was another example of the effectiveness of PPIB in promoting Thar coal for power generation.
Total electricity generation from 4 Thar coal-based plants
It said that with this latest addition, total electricity generation from 4 Thar coal-based plants has surged to 2,970 MW while 330 MW by Thal Nova project was also under testing and likely to achieve COD soon.
The PPIB has already facilitated the commissioning of 3 projects with a total capacity of 1,650 MW, including the 660 MW Lucky, 660 MW Engro, and 330 MW Hubco Thar power projects. All these projects are at the top of NPCCs merit order list.
The government is expecting that commissioning of the project will result in considerable savings of foreign reserves and it will reduce dependence on imported fuels.
The PPIB remains dedicated to promoting Thar coal and facilitating private sector investment to empower Pakistan for a brighter future.
