National Transmission and Despatch Company Ltd (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 kilometers of transmission lines and many new grid stations at 500 kV and 220 kV voltage level to strengthen its network. 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 despatched and controlled by NTDC's National Power Control Centre in Islamabad.
NTDC is committed to be the business role model for the public sector in Pakistan while investing its human resource, maintaining and operating its assets efficiently as well as developing and executing its reinforcement and expansion projects timely and cost effectively. This would in turn significantly contribute to economic growth of the country. Keeping abreast with the latest technological trends being adopted in the world, the company is going to make use of 765kV AC and ± 660 kV HVDC technologies for bulk power transfer from remote locations and develop interties with neighbouring countries to facilitate import of power.
China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is a game changer for Pakistan, which entails about $36 billion investment in energy sector leading to 17,000 MW of new power generation capacity for which NTDC has started building a huge transmission infrastructure to evacuate power from these energy projects. During the last three years, the company has completed 26 projects to reinforce and expand its transmission system. 220 kV Grid Station Chistian alongwith 65 km 220 kV Vehari - Chishtian Transmission line completed in Sep 2016. Two Line Bays at 220 kV Vehari has also been completed in the same month. 500 kV Shikarpur grid station alongwith 42 km 500 kV and 50 km 220 kV transmission lines feed for Shikarpur grid station were completed in May 2016. 500 kV transmission lines for 1320 MW Sahiwal Coal Power Plant and 1200 MW RLNG Bhikki power plant part of CPEC projects, are ready for evacuation of power, projects completed ahead of their timelines.
Presently, 41projects are under execution, which are being constructed on war footing basis. Under the umbrella of CPEC, the transmission interconnection schemes for evacuation of power from 1320 MW Port Qasim Coal Fired Power Plant and 660 MW Engro Thar Coal Fired Power Plant.
For evacuation of power from wind clusters of Gharo and Jhimpir, a 132 kV double circuit Transmission Line has been completed recently and various wind power plants have been connected with national grid. Whereas 220 kV double circuit Transmission Lines from Jhampir New to T.M. Khan Road and from Gharo New to Jhampir New are in completion phase. Interconnections schemes for 720 MW Karot and 840 MW Suki Kinari Hydropower Projects are also under construction. Transmission line for power dispersal from 1000 MW Quaid-e-Azam Solar Park has already been completed.
HVDC ± 660 kV Transmission Line from Matiari to Lahore under CPEC is a mega project. Work on a unique and state-of-the art project will be started soon. Two HVDC ± 660 KV Lines from Matiari to Lahore and Port Qasim to Faisalabad were planned in CPEC Projects. The HVDC Projects will be executed in two phases under GOP Transmission Policy-2015 on Build, Own, Operate and Transfer (BOOT) basis. Initially, HVDC Matiari-Lahore Project will be carried out in first phase.
Apart from CPEC projects, construction work on 145 km long 500 kV Neelum Jhelum Transmission Line has been geared up and more than 80 percent work of the project been has been completed so far. NTDC teams are working in arduous terrains of AJK and the transmission line would be ready for evacuation of power prior to the commissioning of 969 MW Neelum Jhelum Hydropower Plant.
NTDC is ambitiously pursuing the project for evacuation of Power from Tarbela 4th Extension Hydro Power and interconnections with 3600 MW RLNG Based Power Plants Bhikki, Haveli Bahadur Shah and Balloki, since these projects are priority of government of Pakistan. Beside these projects, in view of the growing demand of electricity, a number of grid stations and transmission lines are being completed on fast track throughout the country and most of them are in completion phase.
The Southern region becomes very important in winter as maximum power is transmitted from south to north. The network is fully capable to evacuate power from South including Uch Power Plants, Wind Power & 747 MW Guddu. In this context, NTDC network has been strengthen by construction / commissioning of 500kV grid station Shikarpur and allied transmission system. However, work on 220 kV Uch-Sibbi transmission line is being carried out expeditiously and will be completed in March 2017.
In coming years, demand of electricity will be touching to a considerable mark, thus NTDC has planned a number of grid stations and transmission line projects for evacuation of power from future power generation facilities to be installed in the country. These projects provide ample opportunities of foreign investment. The projects include ; 500 kV Islamabad West Grid Station, 500kV Chakwal Grid Station, 500 kV Lahore North Grid Station, 220 kV Zhob Substation, 220kV Mirpur Khas Grid Station, 220kV Mastung Grid Station, 220 kV Kohat Grid Station, 220kV Jamrud Grid Station, 220kV Kamra Grid Station, Refurbishment of 500 kV Guddu alongwith associated Transmission Lines, 220kV Shadman Grid Station, 220kV Jauhrabad Grid Station, 220kV Head Faqiryan Grid Station and Extension/Augmentation at Existing Grid Stations.
NTDC has been given mammoth mandate of constructing the required transmission infrastructure for evacuating power from new generation facilities. NTDC management, engineers and staff are working diligently with full commitment for completing these transmission projects timely. Certainly, these efforts will contribute to the national development and support the government's mandate to eliminate load shedding from the country.
(The writer is Managing Director NTDC)