Pakistan provides Chinese firm with two chunks of land for CPEC power project

Two chunks of land, measuring 175 acres each have been provided to a Chinese company by the Government of Pakistan for the USD1.57 billion Matiari-Lahore 660kV High Voltage Direct Current transmission line power project.

The China Electric Power Equipment and Technology Company Ltd (CET), a company owned by the State Grid Corporation of China, has been given possession of these land after the National Transmission Dispatch Company Limited (NTDCL) acquired it from landowners, reports the Dawn.

Of these lands, one is located about 50kilometres from Lahore near Balloki, Bhaipheru, and the second one is situated within the jurisdiction of Matiari, a small town in country's Hyderabad district.

The Matiari-Lahore transmission line will have the capacity to transmit about 4,000MW of power and is the country's first mega the direct current (DC) project.

The power project is a part of the USD 51 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

The project's civil work is expected to be inaugurated in March this year as preparatory work on the part of the contractor is still underway.

Ministry of Water and Power official said, "We have completed the land acquisition for two mega converter stations of the project that will be built near Balloki (Bhaipheru, Lahore). And, we have also handed over control of the Lahore land to the Chinese firm. The possession of land in Hyderabad is likely to be completed soon."

The alternate current (AC), received from the plants in AC mode, will be converted into DC (direct current) by the convertor station to be built in Hyderabad for the onward transmission in the same mode through the line.

Electricity would be received in DC by the Lahore convertor station and then it will convert it into AC for its onward supply to consumers through other AC lines of 500kV and 220kV.

The official added that the land acquisition for passing of the transmission line through various areas on the way such as Hyderabad, Rahim Yar Khan, Bahawalpur, Hasilpur, Vehari, Sahiwal, Kasur and Lahore is likely to start soon as agreements between Pakistan and China had almost finalised in the wake of respective memorandums of understandings.

"This project will be completed on a fast track basis. And initiation of civil work of the two convertor stations in the days to come hints that the project will be completed in October, 2019, as per deadline," the official said.