Pakistan to boost electricity imports from Iran

Teheran, August 26 - Neftegaz.RU. Pakistan is looking to increase electricity imports from Iran to 70 MW to meet the power needs in its under-development Gwadar port.

According to a decision made by the Cabinet Committee on China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a Pakistani company Qesco is awarded the project to lay a transmission line for supplying the imported electricity to Gwadar port.
The transmission line is expected to be completed by March 2023.

Pakistan is already importing some electricity from Iran but the U.S. sanctions against Tehran have created hurdles in making proper payments for the import, prompting Pakistan to opt for a barter agreement for the deal.

The Iranian power industry consists of 1 million km of transmission, distribution and super-distribution networks, about 500,000 mega-volt ampere capacity of high and low-pressure substations, and about 85,000 MW capacity of power plants.

Iran is now emerging as a major electricity hub in the region as the country is following a comprehensive plan for synchronizing its power grid with the neighboring countries.
Currently, Iran has electricity exchange with Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iraq, Turkmenistan, and Afghanistan.

Earlier this year, Energy Ministry's Spokesman for Electricity Industry Mostafa Rajabi Mashhadi also announced that the country is pursuing a plan for exporting electricity to the southern Arab neighbor Oman through the sea.