LAHORE: The National Transmission & Dispatch Company (NTDC) is all set to launch two mega projects of new grid stations and transmission lines on Saturday (today) in a bid to reduce system and line losses and improve voltage profile of the Lahore Electric Supply Company (Lesco), besides providing uninterrupted supply to the Quaid-e-Azam Business Park — an under-construction special economic zone, near Sheikhupura on Lahore-Islamabad Motorway (M-2).

The first project titled ‘500/220/132kV Lahore North Substation and Associated 500kV & 220kV Transmission Lines Project” is being launched near Seekham Adda on Sheikhupura-Muridke Road, while the second one will be at Quaid-e-Azam Business Park (QABP).

According to documents available with Dawn, the Lahore north substation project will be executed in funding collaboration of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) under loan No3677-Pak: Second Power Transmission Enhancement Investment Programme — Tranche-3. Under the ADB loan scheme the project has been named as “procurement of plant — design, supply, installation and commissioning of 500/220/132 Lahore north substation and extension works at 500/220/132kV Nokhar substation.

The contract for the construction Rs20.732 billion (PC-1 cost) Lahore north substation has been awarded to a leading Chinese firm (M/S CET, China), that will be complete by March, 2024. The project will include installation of three huge transformers of 750MVA and as many of 250MVA capacity. The project’s main objective is to meet the Lesco region’s power demand, and strengthen the NTDC system. It will help improve the voltage profile at the proposed Lahore North substation, especially in the 132kV network of Lesco.

It will cause reduction in the loading/overloading of 500/220 kV and 220/132 kV system at Lahore Old (Sheikhupura), Nokhar/Gujranwala and Lahore South substations. The project will further improve reliability of the NTDC and Lesco system networks, besides providing additional source of power supply to meet the growing demand of Lesco.

As per the documents, it will help reduce the Lesco and NTDC system losses by 36.6MW. The areas/stations to be benefited through this project include 132 kV Grid Stations at Kala Shah Kaku, Attabad, Fatepuri, Ravi, Sherwala, Bhati Gate, Badami Bagh, Shadarah under the jurisdiction of Lesco.

It will further reduce forced loadshedding in Lesco region. The allied transmission lines to be laid under this project include 113km-long line from the High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) Converter Station at Balloki (Kasur) to Nokhar substation via Lahore North, 15km long 220kV double circuit line for in/out of Kala Shah Kaku-Ghazi Road Line (15 KM), 17km-long 220kV double circuit in/out line of Kala Shah Kaku-Ravi and 8.5km-long 220kV double circuit in/out of Lahore-Ravi Line.

The second project titled “Construction of 220/132KV Quaid-e-Azam Business Park substation” is being executed under contract No NOR-121W3-2022 (civil works, erection, testing and commissioning of grid station near Sheikupura).

The scope of the project is to construct the substation having two transformers -- one of 250MVA and the other of 220/132kV. The project proposal was floated by the Punjab Industrial Estate Development and Management Company (PIEDMC) — a regulator of the QABP that has also been declared as a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) by the government.

The location of QABP is along M-2 motorway in Sheikhupura district. The main objective of the project is to meet the load demand of QABP being developed by PIEDMC. The execution of the proposed project will result in reliable and stable supply to QABP in order to cater the increasing load demand under long-term scenario.

The internal infrastructure for power distribution will be developed by PIEDMC on its own and fulfill all codal formalities and get approvals from regulator and Central Power Purchase Agency (CPPA) in the light of Grid Code and prudent utilities practices. The project’s allied transmission lines -- two 220kV double circuit transmission line on single rail conductor for looping in-out of the existing 220kV Bandala – Kala Shah Kaku line at 220/132kV QABP have already been constructed by the NTDC.

According to PIEDMC, the QABP is a landmark project spreading over 1,860 acres of land having a dedicated motorway interchange at its doorstep. Additionally, 200 acres have been dedicated for a labour colony that will provide accommodation facility to 30,000 workers of the project. After its completion, the project will have the capacity to generate 250,000 new jobs for the skilled and unskilled workers, along with empowering a skilled women workforce.

“The Minister for Energy (Power Division) Khurram Dastgir Khan will launch the construction of both grid stations on Dec 10 (Saturday) today,” says a NTDC official.

Published in Dawn, December 10th, 2022