Suki Kinari Hydropower Project

Not to be confused with Balakot Hydropower Project.
SK Hydropower Project
Suki Kinari Hydropower Project is located in Pakistan
Suki Kinari Hydropower Project
Location of SK Hydropower Project in Pakistan
Official nameSuki Kinari Hydropower Project
CountryPakistan
LocationBalakot, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
Coordinates34°43′23.24″N 073°32′33.58″E / 34.7231222°N 73.5426611°E / 34.7231222; 73.5426611
PurposeWater storage and Power generation
StatusConstruction Completed
Construction began2017
Opening dateExpected 2024
Construction cost$ 1.9 Billion
Owner(s)SK Hydro (Gezhouba Group)
Dam and spillways
Type of damEmbankment, asphalt concrete face, rock-fill
ImpoundsKunhar River
Height54.5 m (179 ft)
Length336 m (1,102 ft)
Reservoir
Maximum length3.1 km (1.9 mi)
Power Station
Commission dateExpected 2024
TypeRun-of-the-river
Hydraulic head848 m (2,782 ft) (net)
Turbines4 x 221 MW Pelton-type
Installed capacity884 MW
Annual generation3,212 GWh

SK Hydro also known as Suki Kinari HPP, is a run-of-the-river hydropower project located on the Kunhar River at Balakot Tehsil in District Mansehra, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which has an installed generation capacity of 884 MW.[1]

The project's deal was finalized in 2014, with the financial closure occurring in January 2017.[2][3] The project is sponsored by Chinese state-owned company Gezhouba Group,[4] and is being constructed as part of the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor's "Early Harvest" projects.[5]

As of September 2024, the dam has completed its testing phase and is ready to be connected to the national grid.[6]

Background

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The project was first envisaged in 1960, and feasibility studies have been carried out by German GTZ, Quebec based Montreal Engineering and recent detailed design and engineering study was performed by Mott MacDonald of England.[7]

The Private Power and Infrastructure Board of Pakistan identified a number of sites in the country that were deemed attractive for their hydropower potential. In March 2005, PPIB publicly advertised seven hydropower sites for implementation in the private sector pursuant to the Policy for Power Generation Projects 2002.

SK Hydro Consortium, having the requisite technical and financial strength, submitted its bid for the Suki Kinari Hydropower project. The consortium was prequalified, and a Letter of Interest (LOI) for conducting a feasibility study of the project was issued to SK Hydro on 15 November 2005. The government of the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, announced on August 24, 2016, that it has signed an agreement with SK Hydro Private Ltd. and Industrial and Commercial Bank of China to develop and construct the dam.[8]

Project details

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The dam will be constructed as a 54.5 meter high and 336 meter wide concrete gravity dam with 2 gated spillways.[9][10] Four 221 MW turbines are to be installed as part of the project, and will generate 884 MW of electricity in total.[11]

Construction of the dam will result in the formation of a 3.1 kilometer long reservoir with a capacity of 9 million cubic meters of water. It will not cause large scale displacement of populations as no villages or towns will be inundated by the resulting dam's reservoir,[12] although a four kilometer section of the Kaghan-Naran highway will have to be diverted as a result of construction works and the resulting reservoir.[13]

Accompanying transmission lines will be constructed by Pakistan's National Transmission and Dispatch Company, and is not considered complementary to the project, but is to be constructed separately from the dam itself.[14]

As of September 2024, the dam has completed its testing phase and is ready to be connected to the national grid.[15]

Financing and tariff

[edit]

The project is being built on a "Build, Own, Operate and Transfer" basis in accordance with Government of Pakistan's Policy for Power Generation Projects 2002.[16] The dam is being developed by Pakistan's SK Hydro group and China's Gezhouba Group.[17] In April 2015, an agreement for 75% of financing costs was signed by the developers and the Exim Bank of China and Industrial and Commercial Bank of China.[18] The project achieved financial close on December 31, 2016.[19]

The projected cost for the project was initially projected to be $1.314 billion,[20] but as a result of devaluation of the Pakistani Rupee, the cost is now estimated to be $1.8 billion.[21]

The Government of Pakistan has agreed to purchase electricity from SK Hydro at a cost of 8.8415 US cents per kilowatt-hour for the 30 years on the cost-plus basis.[22][23][24]

References

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  1. ^ "884MW Suki Kinari Hydropower Project". Retrieved 9 August 2023.
  2. ^ "Deal signed for 870MW hydropower project". The Nation. 2014-04-12. Retrieved 2021-07-31.
  3. ^ "Suki Kinari hydropower project of 870MW achieves financial close". www.thenews.com.pk. Retrieved 2021-07-31.
  4. ^ "S K Hydro (PVT.) Limited - Sponsors". Archived from the original on 2016-03-14. Retrieved 2016-03-13.
  5. ^ "No energy project under CPEC in KP". The Nation. 4 January 2016. Retrieved 13 March 2016.
  6. ^ "Suki Kinari Hydropower Project ready to be added to national grid: official". www.thenews.com.pk. Retrieved 2024-10-12.
  7. ^ "Suki Kinari: Landowners threaten to resist acquisition for hydropower project". The Express Tribune (Pakistan). 19 February 2015. Retrieved 13 March 2016.
  8. ^ "Background". SK Hydro. Archived from the original on 14 March 2016. Retrieved 13 March 2016.
  9. ^ "Tariff Petition" (PDF). NEPRA. 27 June 2013. p. 8. Retrieved 13 March 2016.
  10. ^ "Project Components". SK Hydro. Archived from the original on 14 March 2016. Retrieved 13 March 2016.
  11. ^ "Salient Features". SK Hydro. Archived from the original on 14 March 2016. Retrieved 13 March 2016.
  12. ^ "Tariff Petition" (PDF). NEPRA. 27 June 2013. p. 9. Retrieved 13 March 2016.
  13. ^ "Tariff Petition" (PDF). NEPRA. 27 June 2013. p. 14. Retrieved 13 March 2016.
  14. ^ "Tariff Petition" (PDF). NEPRA. 27 June 2013. p. 10. Retrieved 13 March 2016.
  15. ^ "Suki Kinari Hydropower Project ready to be added to national grid: official". www.thenews.com.pk. Retrieved 2024-10-12.
  16. ^ "Determination of the Authority in the matter of Tariff Petition filed by S.K. Hydro (Private) Ltd. for Determination of Generation Tariff in respect of 870.25 MW Suki Kinari Hydropower Project [Case # NEPRA/TRF-232/SKHPL-20131" (PDF). NEPRA. 18 March 2014. p. 1. Retrieved 13 March 2016.
  17. ^ http://www.cggc.cc/2015-01/30/content_19450634.htm [bare URL]
  18. ^ "Financing". SK Hydro. Archived from the original on 14 March 2016. Retrieved 13 March 2016. The project is being supported by Export-Import Bank of China and Industrial and Commerce Bank of China Ltd. (ICBC) ('Lenders'). The Company has signed a Facilities Agreement with the Lenders for full 75% of Debt portion on April 20, 2015 in the presence of the Honorable President of China and Honorable Prime Minister of Pakistan.
  19. ^ "Suki Kinari Hydropower Station, Naran, Khyber Pukhtunkhwa | China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Official Website".
  20. ^ "Determination of the Authority in the matter of Tariff Petition filed by S.K. Hydro (Private) Ltd. for Determination of Generation Tariff in respect of 870.25 MW Suki Kinari Hydropower Project [Case # NEPRA/TRF-232/SKHPL-20131" (PDF). NEPRA. 18 March 2014. p. 5. Retrieved 13 March 2016.
  21. ^ "Deal signed for 870MW hydropower project". The Nation. 12 April 2014. Retrieved 13 March 2016.
  22. ^ https://nepra.org.pk/tariff/Tariff/IPPs/Suki%20Kinari%20Hyropower/TRF-232%20SKHPL%20DETERMINATION%2028-03-2014%203036-38.PDF [bare URL PDF]
  23. ^ "Deal signed for 870MW hydropower project". The Nation. 12 April 2014. Retrieved 13 March 2016.
  24. ^ "Costs". SK Hydro. Archived from the original on 14 March 2016. Retrieved 13 March 2016. NEPRA has determined EPC Stage Levelized Tariff at US¢ 8.8415/kWh over the 30 year term. The debt to equity ratio is 75 to 25.
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