Pakistan’s state-owned high voltage network developer, National Transmission and Despatch Company Limited (NTDC), has laid the foundation stone for the 500 kV Suki Kinari transmission line project.
The project entails the construction of a 75-km-long, 500 kV double-circuit transmission line for the evacuation of power from the 884 MW Suki Kinari hydropower project to the national grid, from which power will be further transmitted to load centres of Pakistan. The line envisages a total investment of PKR18.7 billion. The Suki Kinari hydropower project, started in 2017, is a part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), with an estimated cost of USD 2.1 billion. The project is expected to start operations in November 2024, and generate around 3,129 million units annually.