Industries invited to join hybrid power project, expected to generate electricity at PKR 18.45/unit

The Sindh Energy Department has called for Expressions of Interest (EOI) from companies, which intend to purchase green electricity and become equity partners in the development of a 400-425 MW Wind Solar Hybrid Project.

The proposed project, to be developed in Pakistan’s southern province, mandates that any off-taker who wishes to purchase electricity from this project must also be an equity partner proportionately.

The Government of Sindh has acquired 2,291 acres of land in the Thatta wind corridor to develop a 350 MW wind-solar hybrid project with battery storage.

This project aims to supply energy to nearby industries on a Business-to-Business (B2B) basis via a dedicated transmission line to be constructed by the Sindh Transmission and Dispatch Company (STDC).

Additionally, 500 acres of land have been secured in Manjhand, District Jamshoro, for developing a 50-75 MW Wind Solar Hybrid with Battery Storage Energy Project.

Businesses are invited to indicate the amount of electricity they wish to purchase from the project, which is expected to produce electricity at a proposed tariff of PKR 18.45 per unit.

The per-unit cost of electricity is anticipated to decrease with the expansion of the generation capacity of hybrid power plants.

These projects are part of broader efforts to promote renewable energy in Sindh, under the Sindh Solar Energy Project, which aims to boost solar power generation and electricity access.

Last month, Chief Minister Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah announced several green projects using new technologies, initiated for the first time in the country and being pushed on a fast-track basis.

These projects include two solar parks in Karachi with a combined capacity of 270 MW (150 MW in Malir and 120 MW in District West), both in the final stages of the bidding process, and a 50 MW waste-to-energy project in Karachi, also in an advanced stage.

The chief minister also mentioned other initiatives, such as a 4.0 MW floating solar project on the Water and Sanitation Authority's supply pond in Hyderabad and a 500 MW green hydrogen project in the pipeline. He also highlighted the severe impact of exorbitant energy prices on the country’s socio-economic fabric.

Pakistan aims to have 20% of its total electricity generation capacity from wind and solar by 2025, increasing to 30% by 2030. Sindh, along with neighboring Balochistan, holds the greatest potential for solar and wind energy development in Pakistan.

The Jhimpir-Keti Bandar wind corridor has an economically viable wind power potential of 11 GW, with older studies estimating technically exploitable potential up to 50 GW.

According to a World Bank study conducted in 2021, Sindh has the potential to accommodate 10,035 MW of renewable energy by 2030, considering resource potential, physical constraints, environmental and social restrictions, and existing infrastructure.