KARACHI – Foreign funding is sought for the establishment of a transmission line to the Thar coalfields for the distribution of between 2,500 and 3,000 megawatts electricity from the coal projects to the national grid.
Ministry of Water and Power will hold a meeting shortly with all concerned stakeholders to resolve the issue related to the approval of the project from Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) in order to ensure that work on the transmission lines commences in a timely fashion.
According to sources, the meeting will be held in Lahore and would take up the issue with Planning Commission for anticipatory approval of the project from ECNEC as early approval from the council was necessary to approach international funding agencies for the funding of Section-II of the project, sources told Pakistan Today.
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has already offered to provide financing for Section-I of the project under Tranche-III of (medium term fiscal framework) MTFF which includes, the 200 kilometer of 500 kV AES line from Mitiari to Dadu (S/CT/L), In/Out line of 90 kilometer of 500 kV Hub to Jamshoro(S/C) and new 500 kV switching station at Mitiari.
However Section-II of the project which includes 535 kilometer line of 3rd 500 kV from Jamshoro to Moro (RYK/CT/L), 55 kilometer line of 500 kV Moro to Dadu (S/CT/L), In/Out line of 10 kilometer of 500 kV Jamshoro to Moro at Mitiari and the new 500 kV switching station at Moro, will need further international funding. The switching station is to be built at the cost of around $300 million.
The total $ 1.0 billion transmission line project, for evacuation of power from the coal field, was included 500 Kv AC line from Thar to Mitiari/Jamshoro, 600 kV DC line from Thar to Lahore, and Terminal Station for DC lines with the estimated cost of $225 million, $330 million, and $450 million, respectively.
Sources claimed that National Transmission and Despatch Company (NTDC) in a previous meeting of Thar Coal Energy Board (TCEB) has requested the board to assist it receiving project approval as ultimately the transmission lines would also help in transmission of power from lower Sindh including Thar to northern regions.
Furthermore, the Ministry Of Water And Power has informed that a separate meeting would be convened to address the issues related to transmission lines on the important project.
It is worth mentioning that given the projected generation of electricity from Thar coalfield within the next five to ten years, the NTDC is working on the construction of a 1,300 kilometer transmission line. The process and configuration of transmission system (including line/grid /switching station) would cater for the transmission of at least 10,000 MW of powe
