China and Pakistan will soon sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) regarding the supply of 4,000 MW of electricity to Pakistan.
A technically viable plan, beneficial to both countries will be chalked out in a couple of days, according to Pakistani news sources.
An official Pakistani delegation is already in Beijing to discuss a draft MOU with their counterparts at the State Grid Corporation of China (SGCC).
In a few days, a bilateral cooperation meeting will be held in Beijing to review the draft, revised with some changes made according to the advice from Pakistani legal specialists and transmission experts.
It is estimated that the project will be ready by 2018.
Mostly, ultra-high-voltage (UHV) power transmission technology will be used as it enables to dispatch electricity from one place to another in a grid network, over a long distance.
New energy resources like nuclear power plants have helped China to produce excess electricity this year, compared to India and Pakistan.
SGCC authorities envision a globally connected energy network that uses different kinds of energy and is transmitted via Smart Grid and UHV technologies.
The company had invested in the power grid of the Philippines and Italian energy grid holding company CDP Reti.
The SGCC projects abroad yield high single-digit to double-digit returns, compared with low single-digit returns at home.
Last year, a Chinese-led consortium backed by the SGCC won a contract to build a UHV line transmitting hydropower from the Belo Monte Dam, which is seen as a milestone in China’s exporting of electricity transmission technology.
In addition, China has vast experience in building grid networks at high-altitude and plateau regions.
For last few years, electricity demand in Pakistan is on rise due to developing textile industries, emerging processing industries and swelling middle class population base.
The infrastructure in Pakistan lacks behind to meet this growing demand.
However, the route will be a key issue, as Pakistan is a long way from China, according to experts.
Pakistani government aims to add 10,400 MW to the national grid by 2017, through three coal-based power plants which will generate 3,300 MW of electricity.
Sabeena Wahid
editor@greentechlead.com