CPHGC’s Unit 1 supplies 660MW to grid on trial basis

KARACHI: China Power Hub Generation Company’s (CPHGC) has synchronised its Unit 1 of the 2X660MW coal-fired power project with the National Grid System ahead of schedule, and started supplying electricity to the Pakistan national grid on pre-commissioning trial basis.

The project was successfully synchronised with the grid on December 28, 2018, and was realised within the agreed technical parameters. Unit 2 of the project was in line for synchronisation in the first half of 2019.

Success of Unit 1 also lays foundation for future commercial operations of the project which have been planned to start in August 2019.

Zhao Yonggang, CEO, CPHGC, congratulated the CPHGC team, highlighting that the achievement of this and other milestones was the result of the hard work of both the Pakistani and Chinese employees who were working in harmony to bring success to the Project.

“CPHGC is the first overseas thermal power project developed by SPIC under the Belt and Road Initiative. The 2X660MW coal-fired power project is a priority project under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and is also the first overseas thermal power project developed by SPIC under the Belt and Road Initiative,” Yonggang said.

Located in Hub, Balochistan, the CPHGC project is a joint venture vehicle between CPIH (the Chinese state-owned company) that owns 74 percent of the project, and HUBCO that owns 26 percent.

The project, despite the much higher cost has adopted supercritical technology for environment protection, as this technology requires reduced coal consumption and has lower carbon emissions thus improving its economical, energy-conserving and environment protecting features.

The $2 billion project includes a power plant and a dedicated coal jetty.

During commercial operations, the project would provide nine billion kWh to the National Grid every year, which would meet the electricity needs of four million households in Pakistan.

The CPHGC 2X660MW coal-fired power project officially had its ground breaking on March 21, 2017. It would expectedly be fully operational in August 2019, after which the project would effectively alleviate a substantial part of electricity shortage in Pakistan and promote local social and economic development.