Port Qasim Datang power station

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Port Qasim Datang power station is a cancelled power station in Port Qasim, Sindh, Pakistan.

Location

Table 1: Project-level location details

Plant name	Location	Coordinates (WGS 84)
Port Qasim Datang power station	Port Qasim, Sindh, Pakistan	24.766667, 67.333333 (approximate)

The map below shows the approximate location of the power station.

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Project Details

Table 2: Unit-level details

Unit name	Status	Fuel(s)	Capacity (MW)	Technology	Start year
Unit 1	cancelled	coal: unknown	350	supercritical	2022
Unit 2	cancelled	coal: unknown	350	supercritical	2022

Table 3: Unit-level ownership and operator details

Unit name	Owner	Parent
Unit 1	Datang Pakistan Karachi Power Generation Pvt Ltd [100%]	China Datang Corp [51.0%]; China National Machinery Industry Corp [25.0%]; State Power Investment Corp Ltd [24.0%]
Unit 2	Datang Pakistan Karachi Power Generation Pvt Ltd [100%]	China Datang Corp [51.0%]; China National Machinery Industry Corp [25.0%]; State Power Investment Corp Ltd [24.0%]

Project-level coal details

• Coal source(s): imported

Background

In August 2016, K-Electric, Pakistan’s largest power utility, applied with the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) of Pakistan to develop a 2 x 350 MW coal-fired power project in Port Qasim, Karachi. The project was developed by K-Electric (51%) in partnership with Chinese groups China Datang (25%) and China Machinery Engineering Corporation (CMEC, 24%). The plant would burn imported coal. K-Electric aimed to commission the project by December 2020. Total investment was estimated at US$967 million.

According to the project’s 2016 generation license application document, the proposal planned to run on imported thermal coal directly off-loaded from ships at a jetty next to the power station “as there is no firm commitment for the availability of the indigenous fossil fuels including natural gas and local coal.” The environmental impact statement (EIS) stated the plant would run on coal imported from Indonesia, South Africa, or Australia. It also stated that China Datang Overseas Investment Company Limited would supply the coal.

The project was granted a generation license on May 23, 2017.

In October 2017, a tender notice for the project was issued as follows: "Datang Pakistan Karachi Power Generation (Pvt) Ltd (DPKPG) is building a new 700 MW coal-fired power plant at Port Qasim, Karachi. This facility will comprise 2 x 350 MW power plant units built on reclaimed land with a dedicated coal unloading jetty for handling 50,000 DWT bulk carriers including all the coal handling equipment and facilities." China Datang appeared to be handling the financing for the EPC tender process.

In April 2019, Datang signed a contract with CMEC, under which CMEC would serve as construction contractor for the project. A start date for construction was not given. However, the project was not listed in the Pakistan Ministry of Energy's list of upcoming independent power projects (IPPs) of April 2019.

According to project sponsor K-Electric's website, land was acquired for the project and Commercial Operations Date (COD) was expected in the 4th quarter of FY 2022.

In February 2020, Karachi Electric said it sought clarity on the tariff for the plant from the Pakistan Ministry of Power, which "is necessary for successful implementation of the project in addition to securing its financing needs."

In June 2020, the Cabinet Committee on Energy said it had approved the abandoning of the proposed 700 MW Datang coal plant. K-Electric said the delay in tariff notification was impacting the project’s commercial operation date and consequently the power demand-supply gap within the company’s service area.

Ownership

In October 2016, Abraaj Group agreed to sell its stake in K-Electric for US$1.77 billion to Shanghai Electric Power (SEP) of China. SEP would acquire a 66.4 per cent stake in K-Electric.

Financing

According to the project’s 2016 generation license application document, China Development Bank had issued a term sheet of “around US$750m” to the sponsors in 2016. Sinosure (China Export and Credit Insurance Corporation) has also issued a preliminary letter of intent but the proponents were concerned that their timelines could be too tight to wait for Sinosure’s final approval. In parallel a consortium of local Pakistani banks were also being approached.

Opposition

In October 2016, "environmentalists, engineers, lawmakers and concerned citizens" expressed opposition to the project at a public hearing in Karachi.

Articles and Resources

Additional data

To access additional data, including an interactive map of coal-fired power stations, a downloadable dataset, and summary data, please visit the Global Coal Plant Tracker on the Global Energy Monitor website.