Iran may soon be lined up to sell up to 70 MW of electricity to Pakistan, said local reports on Thursday, August 26.
Pakistan will use this power at its under-development Gwadar port, said the local reports.
According to a decision made by the Cabinet Committee on China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, the Pakistani company Quetta Electric Supply Company or Qesco has been awarded a project to lay a transmission line to supply the imported electricity to the Gwadar port.
The transmission line is expected to be completed by March 2023.
Pakistan is already importing some electricity from Iran, but US sanctions against Tehran have created hurdles in making proper payments for the import, prompting Pakistan to opt for a barter agreement for the deal, said the local reports.
In April, Iran’s outgoing Energy Minister Reza Ardakanian said the country was capable of boosting its electricity exchange with the neighboring countries to 10,000 MW — 10 GW.
Currently, the Iranian power industry consists of 1 million km of transmission, distribution, and super-distribution networks, about 500,000 MVA capacity of high and low-pressure substations, and about 85,000 MW capacity of power plants, Ardakanian said.
Iran at the moment has electricity exchange with Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iraq, Turkmenistan, and Afghanistan.