ISLAMABAD: Private Power and Infrastructure Board (PPIB) has issued Letter of Interest (LoI) to China Communications Construction Company Ltd (CCCC) for development of 300 MW Imported Coal-fired Power Project at Gwadar.
This project is a component of flagship China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) initiative of the governments of China and Pakistan. The document was signed by Managing Director PPIB Shah Jahan Mirza and from the company’s side it was signed by Vice President of CCCC Xu Jun, a press release Tuesday said.
M/s CCCC would develop the 300 MW power project utilizing imported coal at Gwadar, Balochistan. The company will obtain tariff approval from NEPRA and start construction after achievement of Financial Closing.
The said project has been approved by the Joint Cooperation Committee (JCC) of CPEC and the PPIB Board for further processing. Gwadar city is blessed with a warm-water, deep-sea port situated on the Arabian Sea at Gwadar in Balochistan province of Pakistan.
The port features prominently in the CPEC framework, and is considered to be a crucial link between the ambitious One Belt, One Road and Maritime Silk Road projects. The economic activities foreseen at Gwadar in the near future would require a reliable power supply.
With the addition of 300 MW Gwadar Power Project, the portfolio of power generation projects being processed by PPIB has numbered to nine coal based projects of 8220 MW and three hydro based projects of 2714 MW constituting aggregate total of twelve projects of 10934 MW under the CPEC.
From amongst the CPEC projects, the prime minister has recently inaugurated the 1st unit (660 MW) of 1320 MW Sahiwal coal based Power Project, whilst its 2nd unit of 660 MW is scheduled to come online by December 2017.
PPIB is working as a leading institution of government in bringing additional power generating capacity for improving energy mix in power generation through blend of imported and indigenous fuel/resources for upcoming IPPs.
A number of hydro and local coal based power projects are under development to cater the electricity requirements of the country on long term basis, while imported coal based projects are being processed as a reliable base load solution.
