Sahiwal power station
{{#badges:CoalSwarm|Navbar-Pakistancoal}}Sahiwal power station is a 1320-megawatt (MW) coal plant in Punjab province, Pakistan.
Contents
Location
The map below shows the location of the plant in Sahiwal district, Punjab province.
Background
In November 2013 the Punjab government and China Western Power Company signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to set up two 660 MW coal plants in Sahiwal. The projects would be completed in two and a half years and China Western Power Company would contribute about US$1.5 billion to the projects.[1]
On May 30, 2014, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif attended a ground breaking ceremony for the project.[2]
According to a February 2015 report, the Sahiwal project was "in doldrums" due to lack of interest from potential investors.[3] The project received a letter of support from the Pakistan Private Power and Infrastructure Board on April 17, 2015.[4]
Project included in China-Pakistan Economic Corridor
In April 2015, it was announced that Sahiwal power station was among the projects included in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. According to the announcement, the plant would be developed under the sponsorship of Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Limited, Huaneng Shandong Electricity Limited and Shandong Ruyi Group. China Western Power Company, which in 2013 was identified as the sponsor, was not mentioned in the facility agreement. Huaneng is one of China's leading state-owned utilities. Shandong Ruyi Group is a textile company.[5]
Legal challenge
In October 2015, the Lahore High Court imposed a stay on the development of the plant in response to legal action by two dozen residents and farmers. The legal action argued the proposed project would adversely affect some of Pakistan’s best agricultural land as well as the health of people and nearby industry. They also argued that the environmental assessment report on the project had been done hastily and contained errors, and that the plant would breach air pollution standards. The court has directed a further hearing on the project.[6]
In January 2016 the Lahore High Court accepted assurances by the Punjab Government that environmental standards at the plant will be enforced, dismissing the legal challenge against the plant.[7]
Revitalization and construction
In July 2015, a consortium consisting of China Huaneng and Shandong Ruyi Group announced that it had taken over the project, with Huaneng Shandong's President assuring Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif that the project would be completed on schedule and would start producing electricity in 2017. At that time, orders had been given for the purchase of turbines, generators, and boilers, all of which would reach the project site ahead of schedule.[8]
Construction began in June 2015. As of May 2016, construction was well underway, with completion expected by December 2017. The project would be the first CPEC project to be completed.[9][10]
Unit 1 went online in May 2017.[11] Unit 2 was completed in June 2017 and began operation in July 2017.[12]
In June 2019 it was reported that the 1,320MW coal plant was on the brink of closure after the government was unable to pay the USD 127 million of charges it owed the developer, China Huaneng Group.[13]
Project Details
- Sponsor: Huaneng Shandong Electricity and Shandong Ruyi Group
- Parent company: China Huaneng Group and Shandong Ruyi Group
- Location: Sahiwal district, Punjab province, Pakistan
- Coordinates: 30.71422, 73.23802 (exact)
- Status: Operating
- Gross Capacity: 1,320 MW (Units 1 & 2: 660 MW)
- Type: Supercritical[10]
- Start date: 2017
- Coal Type: Imported (via Karachi Port)
- Coal Source:
- Source of financing:
Articles and resources
References
- ↑ "Chinese company to set up two power plants in Sahiwal," The International News, November 25, 2013
- ↑ "PM performs ground breaking of Punjab's first coal power plant," Dawn, 30 May 2014
- ↑ "Five coal-based power generation projects shelved," Daily Times, February 6, 2015
- ↑ "Upcoming," Pakistan Private Power and Infrastructure Board, updated on 16-06-2015
- ↑ "Details of agreements signed during Xi's visit to Pakistan", Dawn (21 April 2015). Retrieved on 21 April 2015.
- ↑ "LHC grants stay order against coal power project," Business Recorder, October 14, 2015
- ↑ "Court lets Sahiwal power plant go on," The Nation, January 26, 2016
- ↑ "Sahiwal coal power project to start production in 2017: Punjab CM," The International News, July 7, 2015
- ↑ Qadirabad Coal-fire Project: PM wants early completion, Dunya News, 31 Mar. 2016.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Sahiwal Coal Power Project set to become first CPEC project to be completed, Pakistan Today, 7 May 2016.
- ↑ Sahiwal coal power plant starts generation, Dunya News, 18 May 2017.
- ↑ "Second unit of Sahiwal power plant being inaugurated today," The Nation, July 3, 2017
- ↑ "Why is Pakistan opening up new coal power plants, even as the world says goodbye to coal?" Dawn, June 24, 2019
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