First unit of Suki Kinari HPP achieves synchronization, power generation
Gwadar Pro
Aug 13, 2024
ISLAMABAD - On August 12, the first unit of Pakistan's Suki Kinari (SK) Hydropower Station successfully achieved synchronization and began generating power. This significant milestone represents the most crucial step toward the Commercial Operation Date (COD) of Energy China’s largest overseas hydropower project.
As one of the flagship projects under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and a key priority of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the SK Hydropower Station is equipped with four impulse turbine units, boasting a total installed capacity of 884MW. The first unit, with a capacity of 221MW, has now commenced transmitting clean energy to local users via power transmission lines.
Picture by China Energy Overseas Investment Co., Ltd. [Photo/CEEC]
At the site, He Xiongfei, Chairman of SK Hydro (Private) Limited, emphasized that the project has entered its critical final phase, thanks to the collaborative efforts of all involved stakeholders and team members. He further noted that the successful synchronization and power generation of the first unit signified the project’s imminent achievement of COD.
Expecting to achieve COD soon, the S K Hydropower Station is estimated to generate up to 3.212 billion KWH of electricity annually after being put into operation and provide affordable clean electricity to more than 1 million households in Pakistan. It is of positive and far-reaching significance to Pakistan’s effort in adjusting its electric power energy structure, easing the contradiction between supply and demand, and promoting the transformation of infrastructure and economic development.
Earlier, on August 7, 2024, the double-circuit energization of the ADB-401A 500kV Transmission Line from SK Hydro Power Station to the Neelum Jhelum Interconnection Point was successfully completed, marking a major achievement in providing back feed supply to the Suki Kinari Hydro Power Station.