ISLAMABAD – The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has agreed to lend up to $100 million for the construction of the gas-fired Uch II 404MW power plant in Murad Jamali district of Balochistan. According to a statement issued by the bank, the power plant would be constructed near the existing Uch-I power project and would be developed by International Power of the United Kingdom, the single largest private investor in Pakistan’s electricity sector.
The project will get gas from the Uch field, about 47kms from the site, and electricity will be supplied to the National Transmission and Dispatch Company under a 25-year take-or-pay power purchase agreement. The tariff structure will ensure that electricity is both affordable, and that the project is financially viable, with the operator able to recover costs. The plant is expected to take 30 months to build, with the project due for completion in September 2013.
