Daily Times

Karachi: The groundbreaking of 1,320 MW coal fired power plant in Hub, Balochistan will take place today (Tuesday). The project is being constructed by China Power Hub Generation Company (CPHGC) a joint venture project company setup by The Hub Power Company (HUBCO) and China Power International Holding Ltd (CPIH) with an estimated cost of approximately $2 billion, the project is one of the largest coal based power projects being constructed under China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

Project will contribute 9 billion kWh of cheaper electricity annually into the National Grid, and it will support 4 million Pakistani household in yearly power consumption. High ranking Government Officials along with Chinese officials will perform the ground breaking of the project.

Currently, China Power International Holding Limited (CPIH) has 74% share while The Hub Power Company (HUBCO) has a 26% share in CPHGC. The project would consume an estimated 3.8 million tons of coal per annum. A Dedicated Jetty Terminal would also be constructed alongside the power plants to import coal directly to the plant from the sea. China Development Bank (CDB) is leading the Bank Consortium that is providing funding for this project.

The boiler units being used for this project are State of the Art Super Critical Technology based. This super critical technology is widely used in most of the developing countries to improve coal efficiency, to lower the cost of fuel and to cut down on emissions. In addition to that, Electro Static Precipitators (ESPs) are installed to control particulate matter emissions in this project.

Low NOx (Nitrogen Oxides) burners for burning of pulverized coal are specially designed to reduce NOx (Nitrogen Oxides) emission in comparison with other burners. CPHGC is employing all these technologies and will spend around 10% of project cost on these pollution control technologies. A detailed Environment and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) has been carried out at site. The site will follow all NEQS (National Environment Quality Standards) and IFC (International Finance Corporation) standards.

CEO of China Power Hub Generation Company (Pvt), Zhao Yonggang said that 1320 MW coal fired power project is largest power project being constructed in Balochistan under CPEC and it will bring immense socio-economic benefits for the country, specifically for the province of Balochistan. The province will receive a tremendous boost during the construction and the operation period of the project, which will last during the project life time. The project construction will provide opportunities through induction of skilled, semi-skilled and un-skilled workforce by Project Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) contractors though sub-contractors during the construction period, he added.

In addition, other economic activities around the Project Site are also likely to witness a major increase. Various CSR programs for local community such as new schools, medical centers, basic infrastructure around Site and technical training programs are under development within its CSR budget. Every year after COD, some portion of the company’s annual profit will be reserved as CSR fund for the betterment of the locals and province of Balochistan.

China Power International Holding Ltd (CPIH), a wholly-owned core enterprise of State Power Investment Corporation (SPIC), one of the five State Power Corporations in the Peoples Republic of China.