Managing Director National Transmission and Despatch Company Dr Fiaz A. Chaudhry has said that the Company has completed 26 projects to reinforce and expand its transmission system during the last three years. While giving details of latest updates on the NTDC projects, he said, the Company has completed 65 km 220 kV Vehari - Chishtian Transmission in September 2016. We have also completed 42 km 500 kV and 50 km 220 kV transmission lines feed for Shikarpur grid station in May 2016, he added.
According to him, 220 kV grid station Gujarat, 500 kV grid station Rahim Yar Khan, 500 kV grid station New Lahore South will be ready in January 2017, December 2017 and March 2017 respectively.
Similarly, he said, construction of 220 kV Dera Murad Jamali will be completed in March 2017 and installation of Static Var Compensation (SVC) at 220 kV New Kotlakhpat will be completed in December 2016. "Seven Wind Power Plants with capacity of 350 MW have been connected with national grid through 132 kV Jhimpir new to T.M Khan city while 220 kV transmission line Jhimpir to TM Khan Road will be completed in March 2017," he added.
He said 220 kV Gharo grid station along with 220 kV Gharo-Jhimpir transmission line will be completed in June 2017 and 145 KM long 500 kV Neelum Jhelum Transmission Line for evacuation of power from 969 MW Neelum Jhelum Hydropower Plant will be ready by April 2017.
For evacuation of power from Quaid-e-Azam Solar Park, he added, 220 kV grid station and 45 km transmission line is ready for commissioning while evacuation of power from 1320 MW Port Qasim coal power plant will be made before June 2016. He said transmission line for evacuation of power from 660 MW Engro Thar Coal power plant will be ready in September 2017.
In addition, he said, transmission line for evacuation of power from 1320 MW Hub Coal power plant will be ready in December 2018. "Presently, 30 new projects are under execution, which are being constructed on war footing basis," he added. "Under the umbrella of CPEC, the transmission interconnection schemes for evacuation of power from 1320 MW Port Qasim Coal Fired Power Plant, 660 MW Engro Thar Coal Fired Power Plant, 1320 MW Sahiwal Coal Power Plant are being constructed within the given timelines."
"The NTDC is striving to develop a reliable bulk transmission system in the country, which is considered as the backbone of Pakistan's power sector. Correspondingly, in order to incorporate the aforementioned generation projects into the national grid, NTDC is constructing thousands of kilometres of transmission lines and many new grid stations at 500 kV and 220 kV voltage level to strengthen its network," he added.
He said the purpose is to evacuate power from various generation sources located across the country and reliably transmit to eleven (11) load centres for supplying uninterrupted power to most part of the country. This power supply is dispatched and controlled by NTDC's National Power Control Centre in Islamabad.
Presently, the company is operating and maintaining fourteen (14) 500 kV grid stations with capacity of 18,624 MVA and thirty eight (38) 220/132 kV grid stations with capacity of 25,333 MVA along with extended transmission network of 5,197 km of 500 kV transmission lines and 9,814 km of 220 kV transmission lines.