MIRPUR (AJK)-The AJK and Punjab province have embarked on a joint venture in energy sector with the construction of 720MW Karot Hydropower project at Karote village of Rawalpindi district bordering Holar village of Kotli district in the AJK in the near future, official sources said.
The project will cost $1.6 billion that will be provided by China’s Silk Road Fund. The Export-Import Bank of China and China Development Bank will issue loans to the Karot Power Company, which is a subsidiary of China’s Three Gorges Corporation, informed Fiyyaz Ali Abbasi, Secretary AJK Electricity and Power Development Organization while talking to The Nation here the other day.
“All the stakeholders including sponsors - the governments of Pakistan, Punjab and the AJK have reached an agreement for the construction of 720MW Karot Hydropower project. The high level meeting was held at the PPI (Private Power Infra-structural Board).
According to the officials, the Karot Hydropower project will be built in the private sector on BoT - Build-operate-Transfer basis, Fiyyaz Ali Abbasi said.
“Negotiations amongst all the stakeholders (sponsors, the governments of Pakistan, Punjab and the AJK) on 720 MW Karot Hydropower project completed at PPIB in Islamabad late Friday, Abbasi stated who represented the AJK government in the meeting.
Elaborating on features of the project to be constructed with the collective assistance of the Punjab, AJK and the federal government, the AJK Electricity secretary underlined that both the AJK and Punjab will share the water use charges paid by the company on 50-50 basis for a period of 30 years. “After completion of this stipulated period it will be transferred to the Punjab government which will pay 100% water use charges to the AJK”, he said.
LOCATION: Fiyyaz Ali Abbasi continued that the Karot Hydropower project to be constructed on Jhelum River near Karot/Holar Village, some 1.7 km upstream of Karot/Holar Bridge and 74 km upstream of Mangla Dam. The project site is accessible through the road from Islamabad-Kahuta-Kotli Road approximately 29 km from Kahuta village, and 65 km from Islamabad. The groundbreaking of the project took place on January 10, 2016, he added.
PROJECT DETAILS: the AJK Electricity and Power Development Secretary stated that features of the project include construction of concrete gravity 91 meters high dam with a crest length of 320 meters near village of Gohra. The dam’s reservoir will be approximately 152 million cubic meters in volume, with a length of 27 km. he said that 72 homes and 58 businesses are expected to be relocated as a result of construction, while 2.8 km of Karot-Kotli Road, and 8.9 km of the Azad Pattan-Kahuta Road will be relocated as well.
The power intake structure will be constructed on right bank of the river immediately upstream of Dam site and will divert the water into headrace tunnels entering into Cavern Powerhouse. The water will be discharged back to River Jhelum through tail-race channel located at right bank of River Jhelum immediately downstream of Karot village. The dam will generate annual energy 3,436 GWh, and will connect to Pakistan’s national electricity grid.
Mr Abbasi informed that formal Implementation Agreement signing ceremony of the project will be hosted in Muzaffarabad soon with AJK Prime Minister Raja Farooq Haider Khan as a chief guest.
FINANCING: Total cost of the project is estimated to be $1.6 billion, and will be funded by China’s Silk Road Fund.