Port Qasim Lucky power station
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Port Qasim Lucky power station is an operating power station of at least 660-megawatts (MW) in Port Qasim, Sindh, Pakistan.
Location
Table 1: Project-level location details
| Plant name | Location | Coordinates (WGS 84) |
|---|---|---|
| Port Qasim Lucky power station | Port Qasim, Sindh, Pakistan | 24.812805, 67.27456 (exact) |
The map below shows the exact location of the power station.
Unit-level coordinates (WGS 84):
- ': 24.812805, 67.27456
Project Details
Table 2: Unit-level details
| Status | Fuel(s) | Capacity (MW) | Technology | Start year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| operating | coal: lignite | 660 | ultra-supercritical | 2022 |
Table 3: Unit-level ownership and operator details
| Owner | Parent |
|---|---|
| Lucky Electric Power Co Ltd [100%] | Lucky Cement Ltd |
Project-level captive use details
- Captive industry: Cement & Building
Project-level coal details
- Coal source(s): Thar Block II (domestic). Temporarily importing from Indonesia
Background
Lucky Electric Power Company Limited proposed a coal plant of 660 MW at Port Qasim. It received a letter of support from the Pakistan Private Power and Infrastructure Board on June 8, 2015.[1][2]
In March 2016, the Pakistan Power Infrastructure Board approved the project.[3]
The project cost $1 billion, and would be financed on a 75:25 debt:equity ratio. Once begun, construction would take 48 months.[4] Financing would come from the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, among others. Construction work would be performed by SEPCO III Electric Power Construction.[5][6]
In November 2016, Lucky Electric announced that the plant would run on domestic coal from the Thar lignite mine, rather than imported coal, in line with government policy to increase reliance on domestic coal. At the time, Lucky stated that it planned to achieve financial close by March 2017, and to begin commercial operations by the end of 2019; as of June 2017, however, there had been no announcement of financial close.[7][8] In December 2016, Lucky signed an engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contract with SEPCO III.[9]
In July 2017, it was reported that Lucky Cement was facing delays in developing the coal plant as Sindh Engro Coal Mining Company (SECMC) was reluctant to sign a coal supply agreement.[10]
A June 5, 2018 updated list of "Upcoming IPPs" by the Ministry of Water & Power stated the plant would be commissioned in March 2021.[11]
In July 2018, it was reported GE Power would provide the boiler and steam turbine technology for the ultra-supercritical plant.[12]
According to the government of Pakistan in December 2018, the plant was under construction.[13]
In January 2021, commercial production faced a delay of around five months due to inability of the government to finish construction of transmission lines on time in the wake of Covid-19. The company, however, refused to accept excuses from government agencies responsible. According to a Pakistan Stock Exchange filing, based on the current level of National Transmission and Despatch Company (NTDC) readiness for providing the interconnection facility and government's eagerness to extend necessary support to the power purchaser in this respect, "it appears that the project may achieve commercial operation by the middle of first quarter of FY22."[14]
In May 2021, the company reported the plant would achieve a completion status of approximately 97.5% by end of the quarter, and based on NTDC readiness and the government's support, would likely achieve Commercial Operation by the middle of the first quarter FY 2022 (July to September 2021).[15]
Pakistan’s Indicative Generation Capacity Expansion Plan 2021-30 approved by the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority in September 2021 listed the project for commissioning in January 2022.[16] There was no news of the plant's commissioning in 2021.
In March 2022, the plant achieved commercial operation.[17]
Financing
Financial close was announced on June 26, 2018. Lucky Power Project is being financed through a debt-to-equity ratio of 75:25.[18] The consortium of lenders includes Habib Bank, United Bank of Pakistan, National Bank of Pakistan, Alfalah Bank, Askari Bank, Soneri Bank, Bank of Punjab, Meezan Bank, Faysal Bank, and Dubai Islamic Bank and is providing US$825 million in loans. Lucky Cement is providing US$275 million in equity.[19]
Coal supply
In April 2018, Lucky Electric Power signed a coal supply agreement with Sindh Engro Coal Mining for the delivery of 3.6 million tons of coal per annum from Sindh's open-pit mine in block-II of the Thar Block II Coal Mine.[20]
Though the power station was designed to operate on Thar lignite coal, it will not do so until the completion of the third and final phase of mining within Block 2 under SECMC.[17] In May 2022, the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority approved Lucky Electric Power to import coal from Indonesia in the case of non-availability of the indigenous Thar coal.[21]
In September 2023, the interim Pakistan government approved the allocation of 56 billion Pakistani rupees (US$188 million) to construct a 105-km-long railway connecting the Thar coal fields to Port Qasim. The railway line would enable coal power plants at Port Qasim to burn Thar lignite rather than rely on imported coal. The Sindh provincial government, which had promoted the use of the Thar lignite fields, approved the railway in August 2023.[22]
As of March 2024, SECMC would begin supplying coal from Thar Block II Coal Mine in December 2024.[23]
Project page
Articles and Resources
References
- ↑ "Upcoming," Pakistan Private Power and Infrastructure Board, updated on June 16, 2015
- ↑ About Us, Lucky Electric Power website, accessed June 2019
- ↑ "Lucky Cement gets licence to generate 660MW coal power," The News, March 6, 2016
- ↑ "About Us: Project at a Glance," Lucky Electric Power Company website, accessed July 2016
- ↑ "Application for a Grant of Generation License," Lucky Electric Power Company, February 20, 2015
- ↑ "Upcoming IPPs," Pakistan Private Power and Infrastructure Board, accessed November 2016
- ↑ "Lucky Power eyes financial close by March next year," Dawn, November 16, 2016
- ↑ "Lucky power plant to be the first to run on Thar coal," Express Tribune, 16 November 16, 2016
- ↑ "SEPCO III Signed EPC Contract of Lucky 660 MW Coal Fired Power Plant Project," SEPCO III press release, December 26, 2016
- ↑ Zafar Bhutta, "Govt approves coal supply deal with any Thar developer," The Express Tribune, July 4, 2017
- ↑ "Upcoming IPPs," Private Power & Infrastructure Board, Ministry of Power, updated June 5, 2018
- ↑ "GE and SEPCOIII to build first ultra-supercritical power plant in Pakistan," World Coal, July 9, 2018
- ↑ "Upcoming IPPs," Government of Pakistan, updated December 17, 2018
- ↑ "660MW coal power plant faces delay," Express Tribune, January 30, 2021
- ↑ "Lucky Cement shares financial results," World Cement, May 13, 2021
- ↑ “Indicative Generation Capacity Expansion Plan 2021-30,” National Transmission and Despatch Company, September 2021
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 "Lucky completes commissioning of 660MW power plant," Dawn, March 22, 2022
- ↑ "Govt signs financial close for 660MW Lucky Power," Dawn, June 26, 2018
- ↑ "Preview of Port Qasim Coal-Fired Power Plant (660MW)," IJGlobal, September 22, 2020
- ↑ "Lucky Electric to get 3.6m tons of coal from Thar field," Tribune, April 29, 2018
- ↑ "S.R.O 684 (I) 2022," National Electric Power Regulatory Authority, May 27, 2022
- ↑ "Govt okays $300m expensive loan," The Express Tribune, September 8, 2023
- ↑ "Rating Report: Lucky Electric Power Company Limited," The Pakistan Credit Rating Agency Limited, March 2024
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.
