Empowering Gwadar: CDWP Gives Nod to Vital 132kV Transmission Line Project

The Central Development Working Party (CDWP) has granted approval for a significant infrastructure project: the installation of a 132kV transmission line stretching from Jiwani to Gwadar.

Under the guidance of Secretary Planning Syed Zafar Ali Shah, the CDWP meeting greenlit a portfolio of 13 projects, among them the pivotal 132kV transmission line earmarked for Gwadar, carrying a total investment of Rs 34.8 billion.

Specifically, the venture titled "Construction of the 2nd Circuit Stringing of a 132kV Transmission Line spanning 94km from Jiwani to Gwadar" is slated to cost Rs 2,322.940 million. Funding for this endeavor will be sourced from the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP).

In the current fiscal year's budget for 2022-23, the government has allocated a substantial Rs 83,101.262 million to sustain ongoing and novel initiatives within the power sector. The PSDP plays a pivotal role in advancing the government's objectives of sustainable economic growth and socio-economic progress.

Gwadar, hitherto reliant on imported electricity from Iran, is on the brink of a transformative shift with the establishment of the 132kV transmission line. This project will mark the first-ever connection of the port city to the National Grid.

The government is fully committed to resolving Gwadar's electricity woes expeditiously. In a recent development, Pakistan and Iran entered into an agreement to bolster the electricity supply to Gwadar by an additional 100 megawatts. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, during his recent visit to Gwadar, expedited the timeline, instructing the mobilization of the contractor within 15 days to initiate the import of electricity from Iran to the coastal areas of Balochistan. Furthermore, he mandated a project completion timeline of three months instead of the originally proposed six months, reaffirming the government's commitment to swiftly resolve Gwadar's power needs.