Daily Times

In a groundbreaking development, approximately “12 MW” of electricity has been approved for New Gwadar International Airport (NGIA) to fulfil all its electricity needs for 24 hours without any interruption.

On special directives of the Ministry of Planning, Quetta Electric Supply Company (QESCO), National Power Distribution Company that deals with the power supply system in Baluchistan, has formally sanctioned 12 MW to energize New Gwadar International Airport (NGIA) and has commenced full-scale execution by deputing its special teams on the site.

QESCO official told Gwadar Pro that tenting and commissioning process is likely to be completed within 10 days as all required paraphernalia like poll erections, transmission lines, and electrical input and output circuits have already been aligned with the installed power system. To keep power supply smooth and free from power breakdown, 12 MW will remain available to NGIA round the clock as three power transmission lines will be feeding NGIA. “It means if one goes out of function then the second will be automatically connected and if the second goes haywire then the third will be present in the system as a backup arrangement,” he added

Explaining the three power transmission lines, he said: “One power supply is coming from a 286-kilometre long, 132kV dual-circuit transmission line through Naal-Basima-Naag-Panjgur, the second is coming from the Mund-Pishin-Turbat transmission line to Gwadar Grid Station and the third comes from the Gabd-Remden power transmission line to Jiwini-Gwadar Grid Station.”

With the completion of the electrification process, NGIA is expected to be welcoming national and international flights in the mid of September this year, marking a new era of the modern airway that will connect the world with Gwadar. Gwadar Development Authority (GDA) official told Gwadar Pro that the entire scope of work of New Gwadar International Airport including civil work, structural work, mechanical work and engineering work (except navigational & communication work) is almost complete. Under-constructed New Gwadar International Airport is located 26km northeast of the existing airport in Gwadar City on the south-western Arabian Sea coast of the Balochistan region.

The New Gwadar International Airport project kicked off as an early harvest high-priority project of the CPEC programme in 2014.