BEIJING: The 330 MW Thar Energy Limited (TEL) Power Project in Thar Block-II being completed under China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) in Sindh province was making steady progress, said a senior Chinese official.
The TEL power plant was a 330MW mine-mouth lignite-fired power project being built by Thar Energy, which was owned by Hub Power Company (Hubco), China Machinery Engineering Corporation (CMEC), and Fauji Fertilizer Company (FFC).
The TEL power plant would supply electricity to the national grid under a 30-year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA). Two more coal-fired power plants named Engro Thar Block II power plant and ThalNova were also being developed in Thar Block II, media reported.
The Engro Thar Block II power plant was a coal-fired power station in the Tharparkar district, Sindh. It was Pakistan’s first power plant to use the indigenous coal reserves of Thar.
The 660MW power plant, which was part of CPEC, was developed by Engro Powergen Thar (EPTL), a joint venture of Engro Powergen (EPL), China Machinery Engineering Corporation (CMEC), Habib Bank, and Liberty Mills. Construction on the Engro Thar Block II power plant was commenced in April 2016.
Trial operations at the plant began in July 2018 while commercial operations began in July 2019.
The coal-fired subcritical power plant was located five kilometres away from Thar Block II near Thar coalfields in Sindh province.
It consisted of two 330MW subcritical units, which integrated circulating fluidised bed (CFB) boilers, tandem compound steam turbine units, and generators. CFB was an ideal option for the low-calorific-value Thar lignite coal.
It helped to regulate the plant’s environmental footprint by reducing nitrogen oxide emissions and capturing sulphur oxides. –Agencies
