Thar Energy Limited (TEL) and ThalNova Power Thar Private Limited (TNPTL) Power Plant Projects at Thar Block-II have provided jobs to 1838 local people and it will provide many more employment opportunities to locals, according to Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Nong Rong.
The 330-megawatt TEL Power Project being established under China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) in Sindh province is near completion.
The power plant is 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) and it would would supply electricity to the national grid under a 30-year power purchase agreement.
Read more: 1100 plus jobs announced at Thar Block-1 mining project under CPEC
“Good news that the TEL 330MW Power Plant Project in Thar Block-II is making steady progress by joint efforts of both Chinese and Pakistani staff,” Chinese envoy tweeted with pictures of the project.
Thar Block II is Pakistan’s first power plant to use the indigenous coal reserves of Thar. Located in the Tharparkar district of Sindh, the 660MW power plant has been developed as a part of CPEC by Engro Powergen Thar (EPTL), a joint venture of Engro Powergen (EPL), China Machinery Engineering Corporation (CMEC), Habib Bank, and Liberty Mills.
Block II 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.
The new coal-fired power plant fed electricity to a 500kV double-circuit transmission line of the grid network between Thar and the Hesco grid station in Jamshoro. The estimated cost of the Engro Thar power plant was $995.4 million.
