Sharif inaugurates first unit of Sahiwal project

One of two plants of coal power project completed six months ahead of schedule

Prime Minister Mohammad Nawaz Sharif yesterday inaugurated the first unit of Sahiwal Coal Power Project that will add 660 megawatt of electricity to the national grid.

The prime minister, who was accompanied by Punjab chief minister Shehbaz Sharif, Punjab governor Mohammad Rafiq Rajwana, Minister for Railways Khawaja Saad Rafiq and State Minister for Water and Power Abid Sher Ali unveiled the plaque for the project.

With a total capacity of 1,320 megawatt, the project comprised two coal-based power plants with capacity of 660MW each. This is one of the early harvest projects of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

Sharif visits plant

The prime minister also visited the control room and different sections of the power plant wherein the Chinese engineers briefed him about the functioning of the plant. The project has been completed in a record period, six months ahead of the prescribed schedule, as the prime minister had launched work on the project on May 30, 2014.

Executed by M/s Huaneng Shandong Ruyi Pakistan Energy Private Limited, the project had already been connected to the national grid since May 12 this year. The power plant is expected to start generating 1,320MW from the first week of June this year which would also be six months before the planned schedule.

Built as a state-of-the-art supercritical coal fired power project, the plant is environmentally compliant with high thermal efficiency to ensure low fuel consumption.

The power generation from the project is expected to exceed 9 billion kWh, which would significantly contribute in alleviating energy crisis in the country. The project will produce electricity with a levellised tariff of Rs8.11/unit (28 fils/unit).

Around 190 young engineers trained in China have been employed for plant operations.