Chairman NEPRA visits Wind Corridor in Thatta

THATTA Sep 19,2021- Chairman NEPRA accompanied by members of the Authority visited the Wind Corridor in Thatta District.

According to the NEPRA statement, the purpose of the visit was to check the performance of wind power projects and power transmission. The NEPRA Authority distributed water pumps, sewing machines and solar kits to the local community, the statement said.

The NEPRA Authority also inaugurated a Vocational Training Center for Women and a modern community hospital.

The statement further said that NEPRA Chairman Tauseef H. Farooqi appreciated the CSR initiatives of the concerned power plants.

Sindh government allotted 1408 acres of land

The government of Sindh has allotted 1408 acres of land in the Wind Corridor of Thatta District for development of 49.5 MW Wind Energy project by Master Wind Energy Limited.

An investment of 130 million dollars has been arranged through local and foreign financing for the project. The major portion of the project costs will be provided by Overseas Private Investment Corporation, USA (OPIC) and the rest of the project financing has been arranged by a consortium of local banks. The project started its commercial operations in July 2016, and enhance the capacity of national grid by adding 142.1GWh of electricity every year.

The construction contract of the project was awarded to Powerchina Huadong Engineering Corporation Limited (a Chinese company), which will install 33 turbines of 1,5MW each. The wind turbines will be supplied by General Electric.

The NEPRA has already awarded the fixed tariff to the project company, whereas NTDC has also confirmed power evacuation from the project site. The project will support the international concerns to reduce the environmental degradation.

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The identified potential in the wind corridor is about 55,000, out of which only 156.4MW has so far been tapped and supplied to national grid, which is less than 1 % of the total generation mix.  The government of Sindh is providing a level playing field to local and international investors.

The Energy Department is aggressively pursuing the development of power projects and has introduced various measures.

CPEC contributed 300MW of clean wind energy

The China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) has contributed 300MW of clean wind energy to the national grid through its four early harvest wind power projects.

According to sources from embassy of China in Pakistan, the four wind projects that had been completed under CPEC and are connected with the national grid include Dawood wind power project (50 MW), Sachal Energy wind farm (50MW), three gorges second wind farm project (100MW), and UEP wind farm project (100MW).

Dawood wind power project is a prioritized or early harvest project under CPEC, which installs 33 wind turbine generators with the capacity of 1.5MW per unit and total capacity is 49.5MW on 1,720 acres of land in the coastal area of Gharo wind corridor in Bhanbore, District Thatta, Sindh.

This is a direct investment (FDI) project and total investment of Dawood wind power project is US $115 million. The rate of equity to loan is 30 percent:70 percent.

Dawood wind power project

Dawood wind power project achieved Commercial Operation Date (COD) on April 4, 2017 and annual electric power supply to the National Grid is more than 130GWh, which is sufficient for daily use of 100,000 Pakistan families and is effectively easing the crisis of electricity shortage in Pakistan.

Sachal wind power project

Sachal wind power project was completed in April 2017 at a cost of $110 million. It is located in Jhimpir, Thatta district, Sindh province, about 100km northeast of Karachi.

The total installed capacity of this project is 49.5MW, and 33 Gold wind brand wind turbine generators (WTGs) with a capacity of 1.5MW are installed. It is invested by Sachal Energy Development (private) Ltd., in which Arif Habib Corporation Limited holds 100 percent shares. HydroChina International Engineering Co., Ltd. is the engineering procurement construction (EPC) contractor. The Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) provided a loan. The debt and equity ratio is 85 percent:15 percent.

Three Gorges second wind power project

Three Gorges second wind power project (2×50MW) is located at Jhimpir, Thatta district, Sindh province, 90KM west from Karachi. This is a foreign direct investment (FDI) project, and is invested, developed and constructed by Three Gorges Second Wind Farm Pakistan Limited (TGS) and Three Gorges Third Wind Farm Pakistan Private Limited (TGT).

The total investment amount is $224 million on the basis of Build-Own-Operate (BOO), with a construction period of 18 months and an operation period of 20 years. The total installation capacity is100MW, with an annual electricity output of 286.6 GWH. It was listed as actively promoted project in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor in August, 2014.

Jhimpir UEP 100MW wind farm

Pakistan Jhimpir UEP 100MW wind farm is located in Jhimpir, Thatta district, Sindh, 110km from Karachi. The total installed capacity is 100MW with the supply of 66 sets of Wind Turbine Generators (WTGs) of 1.5MW per set. It also includes construction of a 132KV substation and a control center.

This is a foreign direct investment (FDI) project. It is developed by UEP Wind Power (Pvt.) Limited, a joint venture of Orient Group Investment Holdings Co., Ltd. (99%) and United Energy Group Co., Ltd. (1%). China Gezhouba Group Company Limited (CGGC) is the engineering, procurement, construction (EPC) contractor.

The commercial contract of this project was signed on September 11, 2015. China Development Bank provided financing of $252 million to the project, with the debt and equity ratio of 75 percent: 25 percent. The project became operation in May 2017. 

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