Daily Times

The National Transmission & Despatch Company (NTDC) on Friday inked 43.76 million Euro loan agreement with KfW Bank for financing the construction of 500 kV Chakwal Grid Station. Apart from this, another grant agreement amounting to 2.4 million Euro was also signed which was provided by the Government of Germany for capacity building in NTDC, said a press release.

Mr. Sebastian Jacobi, Director KfW, Islamabad, Dr. Kazim Niaz, Secretary (Economic Affairs Division) and MD NTDC, Engr. Dr. Rana Abdul Jabbar Khan signed the agreements. The construction of 500 kV grid station Chakwal will be done on a swathe of land measuring 715.13 Kanal in district Chakwal.

The land has already been acquired and the contractor has been mobilized for the construction of grid’s boundary wall.

The grid station would not only help in the development of industries by meeting the growing electricity demand, but also improve the power supply position in surrounding areas of district Chakwal, including Chowah Saidan Shah, Gujar Khan, Dandot, Pinanwal, Talagang, Tamman, Padshahan and Chakri.

Moreover, it will also strengthen the associated NTDC and IESCO networks. The voltage profile improvement would be beneficial, especially for the cement industries in Chakwal and would also help generate employment and business opportunities in the area. MD NTDC, Engr. Dr. Rana Abdul Jabbar Khan thanked the KfW team for extending consistent financial support to NTDC as well as in other sectors of Pakistan.

It is worth mentioning that $ 189 million loan under Second Power Transmission Enhancement Investment Program (Tranche-4) was also inked by Secretary (Economic Affairs Division) and Dy. Country Director, Pakistan Resident Mission, Asian Development Bank, Islamabad for power infrastructure enhancement, including transmission lines and grid stations.

The said loan will be utilized for the procurement of transformers, circuit breakers, and other allied equipment for the expansion of four 500 kV grid stations and four 220 kV grid stations to remove the system constraints in the transmission network for Summer 2023, thereby providing relief to the associated DISCOs and the end consumer.

Similarly, a 220/132 kV grid station Jamrud New and its associated transmission lines for evacuation of power from Mohmand Dam will also be financed under the same loan. NTDC team, KfW representatives and officers from Economic Affairs Division Islamabad were also present during the ceremony.