The Private Power and Infrastructure Board (PPIB) has announced achievement of
Commercial Operation Date (COD) of the country’s largest Thar coal-based power
project located at Thar Block-1.While having the generation capacity of 1,320
MW, Shanghai project has been implemented under the China-Pakistan Economic
Corridor (CPEC), the project is developed by Thar Coal Block-1 Power Generation
Co, a fully-owned subsidiary of Shanghai Electric. The project has attracted
valuable foreign direct investment of $1.912 billion which is expected to generate
9 billion units of electricity per annum with anticipated savings of Rs. 250
billion/annum. With this latest addition, total production of electricity from four
Thar coal-based power generation plants has reached to 2,970 MW while 330 MW
by ThalNova project is also under testing and expected to achieve COD soon. The
government is expecting that commissioning of the project will result in significant
savings of foreign reserves and reduce dependence on imported fuels and the
basket price of electricity shall also be reduced significantly. Additionally, the
Shanghai Project will bring prosperity to local & regional communities and
improve lives of local Thari people by generating employment & business
opportunities.
