Islamabad December 2 2022: The 6600MW of 1320MW Thar Coal Block-1 Power Plant by Shanghai Electric, a mine-mouth lignite-fired power plant under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) at Thar Coal Block I, Sindh, was successfully synchronized with the National Grid.
Federal Minister of Energy (Power Division) Engineer Khurram Dastgir Khan in August this year said that Thar Coal Project would generate 2600 MW electricity this year and it would be one of the major energy project of the country.
The 1,320 MW Shanghai Electric Thar Block-1 Coal Project is being developed under the umbrella of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) through Project Company i.e. TCB-I while M/s Shanghai Electric Group Company is the main sponsor at an estimated cost of USD 1.9 billion. The project will utilize Thar Coal supplied by Sino Sindh Resources Limited which is executing coal mining operations for coal extraction in the Thar coalfield Block-I.
Latest advancements by this project will pave the way for timely commissioning of the Project. The project is connected with the 660 +kV Matiari-Lahore HVDC Transmission Line Project for power transmission.
Being fully compliant with the World Bank/IFC standards, the addition of 1,320 MW of indigenous, affordable and reliable electricity will not only energise the national grid, it will also result in savings of foreign exchange of around 75 billion rupees annually on account of Fuel Cost, generate economic activities and employment opportunities for the people of Thar in particular and will also entail improvement of the basic infrastructure in the vicinity of this project. Further, this will boost the confidence of the investors who are interested in thar coal mining and power generation.
