Keti Bandar power station
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Keti Bandar power station is a proposed 1320-megawatt (MW) coal plant at Keti Bandar in Sindh province, Pakistan.
Contents
Location
The map below shows the location of Keti Bandar, the approximate location of the proposed project
Background
As part of a drive to development of an industrial base in the agricultural Thatta District, the government of Sindh has developed plans for a Special Industrial Zone at the deep water port at Keti Bandar, currently a fishing community of 15,000 in the midst of a 60,000-hectare wildlife sanctuary. The port would include a bulk liquid handling facility, a jetty for off-loading coal, and a main 14-berth port. Part of the development of the port would be the construction of a 1320 MW coal plant that would initially use imported coal. As the Thar lignite fields were developed, the plan envisions converting the fuel supply for the first two plants to indigenous dried lignite briquettes. Four additional 660 MW plants are also envisioned, also fueled by dried lignite briquettes.[1]
The plans for the plant were developed by Sindh Coal Authority, a division of the Energy Department of the Government of Sindh. It is not stated whether the government would operate the plant. The power station and coal jetty are to be part of the China-Pakistan Economic Zone.[2]
A September 2013 article decried the neglect of the Keti Bandar project after its inauguration by Benazir Bhutto in January 1996. The editorial touted the "merits" of the project including the "quick start of the first unit of 1,300 MWs from imported coal and the remaining 3,900 MWs — and all subsequent additions — from Thar coal." According to the article, investors had deposited US$5 million with the Sindh government to pay for technical studies of Thar coal in support of the project.[3]
In July 2014, it was reported that the Sindh government had lodged a written protest with the federal government against the approval of ten coal plants in Gadani by the Executive Committee of National Economic Council (ECNEC). It suggested that the projects be shifted to Keti Bandar in order to avoid polluting the 20-million-resident Karachi area.[4]
In January 2016, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah reiterated the provincial government's support of the Keti Bandar coal power plant project, stating that "it is a fabulous and most attractive project and Chinese investors and their consortium would love to take it up." The government would lay a rail line from the Thar coalfield to Keti Bandar (making it unclear why the plant would need to be located at a deepwater port).[5] In November 2016, following a meeting with the Chinese Ambassador, Chief Minister Shah said that Sindh officials had "finalized a plan" to develop the project.[6]
In June 2017 Chief Minister Secretary Energy Agha Wasif said M/s Bridge Factor Consortium will carry out a feasibility study of the Keti Bandar Project: the laying of a 450 km railway line from Thar coalfield to Keti Bandar, installation of a 1320 MW power plant extendable up to 10,000 MW, and development of a jetty for transportation of machinery and equipment. Efforts from the Sindh government were made for inclusion of Keti Bandar as a second China-Pakistan Economic Zone port in December 2016, in addition to the proposed Gwadar Port.[7] The feasibility study is planned for completion in 2018, development work in 2019, and operation in 2025.[8]
As of December 2019 there is no further news about the project moving forward, and it appears to be shelved.
Project Details
- Sponsor: Sindh Coal Authority
- Parent company: Government of Sindh
- Location: Keti Bandar, Thatta province, Pakistan
- Coordinates: 24.15, 67.45 (approximate)
- Status: Shelved
- Gross Capacity: 1,320 MW (Units 1 & 2: 660 MW)
- Type:
- Projected in service: 2025
- Coal Type: Lignite
- Coal Source: Thar coalfield
- Source of financing:
Articles and resources
References
- ↑ "Information Memorandum: 2x660 MW Imported/Thar Coal Power Projects at Keti Bander," Sindh Coal Authority, undated
- ↑ "Dhabeji industrial zone, Keti Bandar to be part of CPEC," Dynamic News, Nov 16, 2016
- ↑ Syed Mohibullah Shah, "How PPP missed the boat," Dawn, September 10, 2013
- ↑ Hafeez Tunio, "Collateral Damage: Sindh objects to Gadani power park scheme," Express Tribune 25 July 2014
- ↑ Realising a ‘dream’: Sindh decides to revive Keti Bandar project, Express Tribune, 23 Jan. 2016.
- ↑ Sindh to set up industrial zone in cooperation with China, Express Tribune, 16 Nov. 2016.
- ↑ "Sindh govt hires consultant to study for 1320 MW power plant at Keti Bandar," The Nation, June 17, 2017
- ↑ "6,000MW coal power plants to be installed by 2025," The Nation, November 14, 2017
