ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s first High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) transmissionline project will be completed timely at a cost of $1658.34 million inorder to transfer 4,000MW electricity from Thar and other projects at Sindh.

This 878km long transmission line project is a China Pakistan EconomicCorridor priority project and also the first private sector transmissionline project being developed under the Transmission Line Policy 2015.

Private Power & Infrastructure Board (PPIB) issued a Letter of Invitationand LOS for this project and got a tariff from National Electric PowerRegulatory Authority while China Electric Power Equipment & Tech Company(CET) is the sponsor of the project. As per plan, the project will becompleted in the first quarter of 2021. The project is being developedunder Build Own Operate & Transfer for a term of 25 years. PPIB is activelymonitoring the project and determined to complete it well in time.

The PPIB has already completed 37 private power projects of 15,500MW andfetched an investment of $17 billion making the completion of thistransmission line project another milestone.

The Matiari Lahore project is not only the first transmission line projectbeing developed by the private sector, but it will also be the first everHVDC transmission line in Pakistan which features converter stations atboth ends and grounding electrode stations near Lahore and Matiari.

The HVDC transmission system offers many advantages for power transmissionover longer distance in terms of more transmission capacity, lesser lossesand cost effectiveness. It would be bipolar HVDC technology, havingapproximately 880 kilometres length and will evacuate more than 4,000MW ofcoal based electricity from projects in Sindh.

The projects which will be connected with this transmission line includeEngro Thar 660MW, Thar coal block- I 1,320MW, Port Qasim 1,320MW and HubPower Port Qasim 1,320MW etc.