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Chief Minister Punjab - Usman Buzdar inaugurated the newly constructed Head Marala Hydropower Project near Sialkot today.

The project, costing four billion rupees, has total capacity of producing 7.64 MW electricity with four turbines of 1.9 megawatts capacity each.


 
GE clinches $60mln coal power plant deal

ISLAMABAD: US-based digital industrial firm General Electric clinched a $60 million of deal to provide advanced boiler technology and post-purchase services to a 330-megawatt coal-fired power project in Thar district.

GE announced the agreement on Wednesday under which it will provide its advanced circulating fluidised bed boiler and its steam turbine generator technology to Thar Energy Limited (TEL) power plant, which is owned by Thar Energy Limited. Lignite coal contains up to 50 percent moisture and low ash content, making it significantly challenging to burn reliably.

Thar Energy is a consortium of Hub Power Company Limited (Hubco), Fauji Fertilizer Limited and China Machinery and Engineering Corporation.

The power plant will use local lignite coal from the Thar Block II mine and supply power to the national grid under a 30-year power purchase agreement. The 330 MW TEL power plant is expected to commence commercial operations in March 2021.

TEL is a part of the larger 1,320 megawatts (four 330 MW power plants) integrated-mining and power plant plan under the China Pakistan Economic Corridor program. Under the agreement, GE will provide critical services to support maintenance outages, including the supply of spare parts, on-site inspections and advisory services for improved operations of both the boiler and steam turbine generator at the TEL power plant for 12 years.

GE’s boiler technology has a successful track record of burning similarly challenging fuels in Europe and North America. Pakistan has about 180 billion tons of lignite reserves and GE’s technology can help the country use the indigenous resource instead of importing more expensive fuels to increase energy independence and save foreign exchange reserves.

GE and Hub Power Services Limited – a wholly owned subsidiary of Hubco – also signed a broader operations and maintenance (O&M) collaboration agreement under which the two companies intend to explore opportunities to jointly provide O&M services to coal-fired power plants in Pakistan and the Middle East and North Africa region.

Khalid Mansoor, chief executive officer of Hubco said GE technology has demonstrated its long-term efficiency and reliability using similar fuels internationally.
 
250 MWs electricity can be produced from Karachi’s garbage : CM Sindh

KARACHI: The Sind Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah said that with using solid waste in Karachi, we can establish five power plants of 50 megawatts and a cumulative 250 megawatts of electricity can be produced from them (Karachi’s garbage).

While presiding over a high level meeting on project of producing electricity from garbage and waste held in Karachi on Monday, the Chief Minister said that 17,000 tons of garbage is lifted from Karachi daily and 50 megawatts power plant can be installed by giving 3,000 tons of garbage to the plant.

Syed Murad Ali Shah directed the Local Government Minister Saeed Ghani that Solid Waste Management should devise a policy for giving garbage to the power plant.

The Chief Minister said that there is a proposal of installing such power plant at Chakra Goth in Karachi which is landfill site. He said that we have to resolve the Karachi’s water problem and energy problem of the province.
 
Thar coal-based plant to start supplying power in January


THARPARKAR: After succeeding in the first-ever Thar coal-based power project of the country and making it a potential destination for power sector investors, Sindh Engro Coal Mining Company (SECMC) is persuading more investors to go there and emphasised that the next projects should be awarded after competitive bidding to get rationalised prices.

“All the projects which are not installed up till now should go through competitive process, everything should go through competition. All the renewable projects should go through competition and thermal projects too. The best possible rates should be determined,” Shamsuddin Shaikh, CEO of SECMC, said while talking to a Islamabad-based group of journalists in Tharparkar.

“I know the future belongs to renewable and not fossil fuel. Today the price of renewable (wind, solar) is around four cent/unit,” he said, adding, “This (coal) is very important for us, because power plants run 24 hours a day, while the wind and solar cannot.”

Under the umbrella of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the first-ever Thar-based lignite coal power plant of 660 megawatts will start adding power to the National grid in January 2019, as less than seven percent work on powerhouse and its coal mine remains, he said. “Prime Minister Imran Khan is going to come here when we start the project (adding power to grid) in January 2019,” he said.

Thar is now open and it has good quality of access roads being built by the Sindh government. “We came here first and worked on the block and succeeded. Now anybody can come here. Hence, we are calling upon the government that for the next projects coming here, their prices should be rationalised and we would also rationalise our prices,” the CEO said.

He said that in Pakistan, the earlier imported coal-based power plants were ‘ill conceived’; they should have all been based in Thar. “These installed plants are in Karachi, Port Qasim, Hub and Sahiwal. The Sahiwal coal power project is a ‘national suicide’ and it should have been built in Thar,” he said. Shamsuddin said Sahiwal is a green area, and setting up a plant there was not a good idea.

Regarding Nepra’s tariff determination for projects, he said, “I don’t think, Nepra determines the right price, it hasn’t the ability to give the right price, so it has given projects at escalated prices.”

He also advised that investors should also reduce their rate of return to make the projects more viable. “Nepra, CPPAG and all these people should sit together and go through the competitive bidding. Open it (Thar) for all,” he said.

He further said that all this coal would go waste unless we go for its other uses. He said that apart from electricity generation, we can make plastic, gas, fertilisers and other things out of it. “Since Pakistan’s natural gas is fast depleting, while we are producing fertilisers from gas, so it would be a challenge for us and our agriculture sector. We cannot solely rely upon its import, while LNG is too expensive. If something odd happens at international level (sanctions, etc), then how would we import urea?” he said.

“This is the right time to think about coal into gas and gas into fertilisers, as in next eight years, our natural gas would get almost depleted,” he said. To a question regarding carbon dioxide emission from coal plants, he said they still remained under the number they were supposed to maintain under the Paris accord on environment. He said Pakistan has very low carbon footprint, as it has much little coal consumption. “90 kilometres from here, at the other side of the border (in India), there are hundreds of power plants in Gujarat, Rajasthan and Maharashtra. We don’t produce carbon dioxide, but we are on the receiving end from there,” he said. He proposed that all coal projects in Pakistan should use at least 20 percent Thar coal by blending it with imported coal, which will save foreign exchange and indigenous resources would be utilised.

Shamsuddin said Pakistan has 180 billion tons of coal reserves, of which Thar holds 175 billion tons, which is 50 billion ton of oil equivalent (TOC) that is more than Saudi Arabia and Iran oil reserves. He said Thar is important for Pakistan, but electricity from here at high cost is of no use. “We are very conscious about it. Pakistan’s power sector is bankrupt, as today we are sitting on more than a trillion rupees circular debt. The reason is that our generation cost is very high, there are line losses and power theft too. The government should work on controlling it and bringing down the cost,” he said.

Regarding its 660 MW lignite coal power plant, he said that its power project is 94 percent completed while its coal mine project has achieved 92 percent and both are five months ahead of their schedule and will add the first electron from Thar to the national grid by January, 2019. Engro Power Thar Limited (EPTL) and SECMC are the largest private investment under CPEC, and the only investments which are 95 percent owned by Pakistanis.

On August 1, 2018, EPTL successfully connected its power plant with the national grid to receive back-feed power supply for plant start-up. The next part of this dream will be achieved by December 2018 or January 2019, when the first electron from Thar coal will be added to the national grid.

Talking about the progress on mine project, he said that there is 92 percent progress on mine with the capacity of 3.8 million tons per annum. The progress on mine project is four months ahead of schedule and the project cost is 20 percent less than the approved cost. “Currently, we have removed approximately 154 meters of soil and we would be able to extract coal from 160 meters,” he said. He said that coal from Thar is cheaper, indigenous and abundant resource now after the success of first ever large scale open pit coalmine in Pakistan. “We have set an example for the world that Pakistan is an attractive market for investment in coal mining and coal-based power production,” he said.

Shamsuddin said the Sindh government owns 54 percent of the project, but unmatched political support has been received from all political parties and governments for the Thar coal project. He added that SECMC was created with the vision to develop a technically and commercially viable coal mining project in Thar Block-II to bring energy security to Pakistan. He said the total reserves of block II are sufficient to support 5,000MW energy for 50 years, enough to pull the country out of the energy crisis.

Shamsuddin informed that out of current 4,400 workers working at the SECMC site, 75 percent workers are natives of Thar. Engro is operating 24 schools, constructing a 250-bed hospital and several water projects for the natives of Thar.
 
NEPRA grants license for 11.80MW hydel power plant in KP

The proposed project is being set up on Khan Khwar river (one of the right tributaries of the Indus River) at Karora village near Besham, district Shangla, in the province of KPK and will have an installed capacity of 11.80 MW.

ISLAMABAD: The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) has granted the power generation licence to Pakhtunkhwa Energy Development Organization (PEDO) for its 11.80 MW Karora Hydel Power Plant located on Khan Khwar river at Karora village near Besham, District Shangla, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).

The proposed project is being set up on Khan Khwar river (one of the right tributaries of the Indus River) at Karora village near Besham, district Shangla, in the province of KPK and will have an installed capacity of 11.80 MW consisting of two horizontal-axis Francis turbines (5.90 MW each).

The said generation facility will have a very high head of up to 152 meters with a maximum design discharge of 9.75 m3/s. The project will result in a mean annual energy of 71.39 GWh at plant factor of 69.06 per cent. The total cost of the project will be around Rs 3263.278 million with a debt to equity ratio of 75 per cent and 25 per cent of the project cost.

Earlier, PEDO carried out a detailed feasibility study of the project.

The Authority duly considered the GIS for the dispersal of electric power from the proposed generation facility/Hydel Power Plant. According to the said study, the dispersal of electric power will be made at 132 kV voltage level. The dispersal/interconnection arrangement will be consisting of a 132 kV Double Circuit (D/C) transmission line (measuring about ten (10) kilometer on twin bundled ACSR Rail conductor) for making an in-out of one circuit of 132 kV D/C transmission line from Ranolia Hydel Power Plant to Khan Khwar Hydel Power Plant.

It is pertinent to mention here that the National Transmission and Despatch Company Limited (NTDC) has already approved the said dispersal/interconnection arrangement of the generation facility/Hydel Power Plant.

NEPRA’s decision also stated that the Authority is satisfied that the proposed generation facility/Hydel Power Plant of PEDO will be utilising water which is a renewable energy (RE) source. However, the Authority has observed that the power plant may cause some environmental concerns including soil pollution, water pollution, and noise pollution.

The Authority has observed that PEDO carried out the required IEE Study and submitted the same for the consideration and approval of the Environmental Protection Agency, Govt. of KPK (EPAGoKPK). In this regard, the Authority is satisfied that EPAGoKPK has issued a NOC for the construction of the project, said NEPRA.

The province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) is blessed with huge potential for hydropower projects. In order to harness the same, the provincial government has set up the Pakhtunkhwa Energy Development Organization (PEDO). And, PEDO has identified around 6000 MW hydropower potential at various sites all over the province. The identified/selected sites are at different stages of implementation. In this regard, PEDO has planned setting up 11.80 MW hydel based generation facility in district Shangla.

PEDO applied for the grant on December 29, 2017. The registrar of NEPRA examined the application and the Authority considered the matter and found the form and content of the application in substantial compliance with Regulation-3 of the Licensing Regulations. Accordingly, the Authority admitted the application on January 24, 2018, for consideration of the grant of generation licence.

Similarly, the Authority approved an advertisement to invite comments of the general public, interested and affected persons in the matter as stipulated in Regulation-8 of the Licensing Regulations. Accordingly, the advertisement was published in one (01) Urdu and one (01) English newspapers on February 02, 2018 respectively.

In addition to the above, the Authority approved a list of stakeholders for seeking their comments for its assistance in the matter in terms of Regulation-9(2) of the Licensing Regulations. Accordingly, letters were sent to different stakeholders as per approved list on February 02, 2018, soliciting their comments for the assistance of the Authority.

In response to the above, the Authority received comments from three (03) stakeholders. These included Indus River System Authority (IRSA), Alternative Energy Development Board (AEDB) and Ministry of Planning, Development & Reform (MoPD&R).

IRSA in its comments desired that PEDO may be directed to provide a copy of PC-I along with feasibility study and approach it for No Objection Certificate (NOC) for the project.

AEDB supported the grant of generation licence to PEDO for its proposed 11.80 MW hydel project; and the ministry of planning, development and reform (MPD&R) stated that the proposed hydel project is in line with the vision 2025, according to which it proposed to enhance the share of indigenous resources.

The ministry supported the grant of the generation licence to PEDO but stressed on timely completion of the project to avoid the escalation of cost.

In view of the above, the Authority decided to proceed further in the matter as stipulated in the NEPRA Licensing (Generation) Rules, 2000 (the “Generation Rules”) and the Licensing Regulations.

The existing energy mix of the country is heavily skewed towards thermal power plants, mainly operating on imported fossil fuel. In this regard, the Authority is of the opinion that use of imported fossil fuel for power generation is not only an environmental concern but also creates pressure on the precious foreign exchange reserves of the country. Therefore, the Authority considers that in order to achieve sustainable development, it is imperative that all indigenous resources especially RE including hydel, wind, solar and other RE resources are given priority for power generation and their development is encouraged
 
Recently operational 969 MW Neelum–Jhelum Hydropower Plant

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The Council of Common Interests (CCI) on Monday approved a proposal to include 1,230 MW Haveli Bahadur Shah and 1,223 MW Balloki power projects in the active list of the privatisation programme for early implementation.

The CCI meeting, held in Islamabad with Prime Minister Imran Khan in the chair, emphasised upon the need for greater focus towards renewable energy in existing energy mix, Radio Pakistan reported.

In October, the Cabinet Committee on Privatisation (CCoP) had approved sell-off of the newly established 1,233-megawatt RLNG-based Balloki Power Plant and 1,230MW Haveli Bahadur Power Plant.

Last week, the Privatisation Commission had asked the National Power Parks Company (NPPC) to submit a working paper on its feasibility.

The Balloki and Haveli Bahadur plants would either be privatised as a bundle package or as separate entities, and the working paper to be prepared by the NPPC will identify timelines, justifications and issues ancillary to it for consideration of the Privatisation Commission board and the cabinet committee on privatisation.

The participants of the meeting decided to further improve the ease of doing business in the country in order to attract investments and to promote industries so that it could truly benefit from the export potential.

The meeting also discussed the issue of rapid population growth of the country which currently stands at 207.8 million with a growth rate of 2.4% per annum.

It was decided to constitute national and provincial task forces, to be headed by the prime minister at the federal level and by the respective chief ministers at the provincial levels.
 
The existing energy mix of the country is heavily skewed towards thermal power plants, mainly operating on imported fossil fuel. In this regard, the Authority is of the opinion that use of imported fossil fuel for power generation is not only an environmental concern but also creates pressure on the precious foreign exchange reserves of the country. Therefore, the Authority considers that in order to achieve sustainable development, it is imperative that all indigenous resources especially RE including hydel, wind, solar and other RE resources are given priority for power generation and their development is encouraged
 
Govt to install AMI ABC cable to stop power theft: minister


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ISLAMABAD: Minister for Energy (Power Division) Omar Ayub Khan said on Saturday that advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) system and ABC cable will be installed in near future to control power theft.

Talking to PTV News, he said this system will not only to stop energy theft but also ensure real-time meter reading.

He said Power Division had chalked out a plan to control electricity theft and increasing capacity of generation and transmission of electricity.

"Working is underway on a mechanism to deal with power theft.

The Power Division is engaging with the provinces on creation of special task forces with the support of provincial governments, local authorities and law enforcement agencies for crackdown against electricity theft," he added.

The minister said ABC cable, which had a capacity to stop any kind of electricity theft, would be installed initially in the premises of IESCO, PESCO and LESCO and the cost for that project had been estimated at $900 million.

The Asian Development Bank would finance the project.

The steps, he said, would not only reduce power theft but also lead to decline in the circular debt.

Transmission and distribution capacity of electricity would be increased by Metering Tree and introduction of ABC cable, he said, adding that deficit in power sector could be overcome.
 
ISLAMABAD: Construction work on Mohmand and Diamer Bhasha dams would commence respectively from February and May 2019, the Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) Chairman Lt Gen (retd) Muzammil Hussain told the Senate Committee on Water Resources on Wednesday.

Briefing the Senate panel, he said Balochistan government did not have the network to distribute 74,000-acre feet water of Kichhi Kanal.

“The province has the network to distribute only 10,000-acre feet water while 62,000-acre feet water could not be distributed, owing to the absence of distribution system,” he said.

He said Wapda has completed various overdue projects in the last two years including Tarbela-IV, Golan Gol, Neelum-Jhelum despite severe issues of scarcity of funds. Massive liabilities of Wapda could not be cleared in five years period despite not starting the new projects during the period.

“Wapda has asked Balochistan government to assign it the task to construct Naulong Dam,” he added.

He said during an earlier year of the country, Wapda had completed 12 projects in 12 years as funds were available in abundance. Brushing aside the allegations of neglecting Balochistan, he said out of 81 Public Sector Development Programmes (PSDP) projects, 36 are situated in Balochistan.

Out of the 36 projects of Balochistan, 32 projects were approved in the PSDP. Rs22 billion have so far been spent on constructing water reservoirs [in the province] and Rs47.3 billion would be spent during the current year, he said.

The official told the Senate body that the cost of K-4 project of Karachi had jumped up from Rs 14 billion to Rs 74 billion. The project would not complete in the next 20 years if funds are not available, he added.

Senator Hasil Bazinjo of the National Party urged that the PM-Chief Justice fund for construction of Mohmand and Diamer-Bhasha dams should be diverted to complete 100 dams in Balochistan.

Senator Usman Kakar said over 12 million acre water was getting wasted in Balochistan and Rs 500 billion were needed to build reservoirs in the province. The water reservoir projects should be included in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), he added.


Senator Dr Jehanzeb Jamaldini of the Balochistan National Party directed the Ministry of Water Resources to give feasibility of constructing only one dam in the province. The meeting was told by officials that during the last financial year, Rs35 million had been spent for constructing Khazana Dam.

This year Rs4 billion has been allocated out of which 8 million have so far been released. The committee was informed that work on Naulong Dam has been over-delayed.

The Asian Development Bank had agreed to provide funds with the condition to construct distribution network first. However, the provincial government has not yet constructed the distribution system.

Wapda chairman said the process to prepare PC-I for construction of Bara dam was initiated in 2002, adding that 6MW electricity will be produced from the dam.

Tenders were issued in December 2009 and April 2010, but no bid was received. The cost has increased manifold in PC-II of the project which has been deposited in Ministry of Water Resources, they said.

The chairman of the committee approved constituting a committee for changing the venue of Khazana dam. The committee recommended completing one or two dams in Balochistan on a priority basis.
 
CPHGC Plant Connected to the National Grid

The 1320 MW coal-fired power plant of the China Power Hub Generation Company (Pvt.) Ltd, being constructed in Hub, Balochistan, achieved a major milestone last month when it interconnected with Pakistan’s National Grid, subsequently achieving back energization of its 500KV GIS from Jamshoro side of the transmission lines.


 
Govt starts homework for privatisation of two RLNG-fired power plants

ISLAMABAD: The Privatization Commission (PC) board has asked National Power Parks Management Company Limited (NPPMCL) to come up with a detailed working paper on proposed privatisation of two regasified liquid natural gas- RLNG-based power plants, a statement said on Tuesday.

The 1233 MW #Balloki and 1230 MW HaveliBahadurShah power plants have already been cleared by Cabinet Committee on Privatization (CCoP) for their 100pc privatisation in the next two years.

The meeting, which was presided over by Muhammad Mian Soomro, Chairman Privatization Commission, directed the management of NPPMCL to work on the feasibility paper for the privatisation of the power plants as either a bundle package or separate entities along with timelines, justifications, and any issues ancillary to it for the consideration of the board and CCoP.

A senior official said before initiating the privatisation process of these plants, their case would be taken to the Council of Common Interests (CCI).

“After that the privatization of these entities would be done under the strategic sale,” the official added


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60,000 acres reserved for renewable energy projects


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Karachi: The Sindh Government has reserved 60,000 acres of land for renewable energy projects as it seeks to harness the massive energy potential of the province, a news source quoted Sindh Energy Minister Imtiaz Ahmed Shaikh. He was speaking at the 17th World Wind Energy Conference.

Shaikh said the government would develop its own grid company under public-private partnership that would be dedicated to evacuate clean electricity being generated in the country's only wind corridor in Thatta-Jhimpir area.

He also announced plans to set up a World Bank-funded USD 100 million solar power project to facilitate the residents of off-grid areas. He hoped that Islamabad would approve the proposed wind energy projects.

On energy projects, the minister said that 23 wind energy projects had started functioning in Gharo-Jhimpir corridor of the province while another 30 to 40 such projects were under different stages of completion.

He said the government was committed to promote utilisation of clean generation resources in the province, adding that utmost efforts were being made to produce clean, renewable energy.
 

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