LAHORE: The Pak Matiari-Lahore Transmission Company (PMLT) claims to eliminating loadshedding in Lahore by next year, with the upcoming commissioning of two new transmission lines. These lines, currently under construction, are expected to alleviate the power supply issues in the city.

PMLT Deputy CEO Ma Desheng shared this information during a briefing to a group of journalists who recently visited the Matiari-Lahore line project site. This visit was part of a four-day media tour showcasing projects completed in Punjab under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), organised under the Lahore Chinese Consulate’s auspices to commemorate 10 years of CPEC.

According to Desheng, the commissioning of two additional transmission lines is on the horizon. One line is set to be operational by September of this year, while the other is expected to come online by January of next year.

The ongoing projects include the Nokhar-Lahore 500kV transmission line, which will interconnect the Matiari-Lahore line’s converter station (DC to AC) and the Lahore North 500kV substation. This enhancement aims to improve transmission capacity and cater to the escalating energy demands of the region.

Desheng highlighted the significance of the Matiari-Lahore transmission line, which marks the first transmission line project completed under CPEC. It facilitates the transmission of electricity from power stations in Sindh to load centers in Punjab, not only bridging Pakistan’s energy gap but also promoting economic growth. He said the line also plays a vital role in transmitting electricity from the indigenous coal-based power plants under construction in Thar district, Sindh.

Highlighting the successful energisation of the Lahore converter station for 1,000 days, Desheng

mentioned the substantial progress made in providing consistent power supply to the city.

The tour, led by Chinese Commercial Attaché Yan Yang and Secretary to Consul General Chen Bo, is part of an ongoing series of celebrations commemorating the successful completion of 10 years of the CPEC, a flagship initiative of the global iconic project “Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)” envisioned by Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The $1.68 billion project stands as the first High Voltage Direct Current project in Pakistan and the second worldwide. When compared to other power transmission projects in the country, it boasts the highest voltage level, making it the most technically sophisticated and challenging one in terms of construction.

The project’s initiation dates back to December 2018, with work spanning across Sindh and Punjab. The transmission line was divided into eight segments, traversing diverse landscapes including deserts, farmlands, rivers, military areas, national parks, wildlife reserves, gas pipelines, railways, highways, and multiple 500kV, 220kV, and 132kV transmission lines.

The project, which was commissioned on September 1, 2021 has been designed to evacuate 4,000MW power from power plants in south to urban load centres in Punjab. The whole line has total 2,362 tower foundations, weighing more than 71,000 tonnes and consisting 220,000 cubic meters concrete and 17,000 tonnes of steel bars. For the first time in Pakistan, the four-split 1,250 square millimeter large-section conductor was used.

The total quantity of conductor is about 28,000 tonnes. The workload has set a new record in the field of power transmission in Pakistan.

The PMLTC constantly while executing the project kept optimising the construction methodology and adjusting the construction plan, making the best of utilising local resources, actively adopting innovative construction methods such as using drones for stringing, stringing cross live line with isolation nets, etc.

Published in Dawn, August 7th, 2023