Sindh expects to attract $1bln investments in Dhabeji SEZ
KARACHI: Expecting to attract $1 billion in investments, the Sindh government on Wednesday announced February 9, 2021 as the last day to submit bids for developing $120 million Dhabeji Special Economic Zone (DSEZ).
“DSEZ is a priority project under China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), and is well on course to be developed under public private partnership through an international competitive bidding process,” participants of a pre-bid meeting were informed. The conference was hosted by Sindh Special Economic Zones Management Company (SEZMC) in collaboration with Sindh Investment Department and Federal Board of Investment on Wednesday.
The zone would facilitate potential investors from China and other countries to either start new enterprises or transfer their facilities to Pakistan, a statement said.
Participants were informed that February 9, 2021 was fixed as the last date for submission of bids from developers, while agreement would be signed on March 09, 2021 in the light of recommendations by the Evolution Committee. SEZMC CEO Abdul Azeem Uqaili said, “December 30 is the deadline for making queries regarding the bids.” Sindh government, despite of Covid-19 outbreak had received a huge response and many bids were expected to be submitted by potential investors. Spread over 1,530 acres, the SEZ would be developed in two phases – 750 acres in 30 months and then on 780 acres in 24 months. “The lease period is 50 years and tax holiday is five years. The minimum floor price was fixed at Rs20 million/acre.”
The minimum commitment from bidders for the development would be minimum 100 acres, he added. The SEZ would hold diversified industrial clusters including steel-foundries, automotive and auto parts, chemical and pharmaceuticals, consumer electronics, textile and garments and fast moving industrial goods. The federal government has already approved funds of around Rs4.3 billion to construct a dedicated grid for the SEZ, which would provide up to 250MWs of power at zero point of the project, to be completed by 2023.
