K-Electric awards $84mn EPC contract to Siemens Pakistan
- By Web Desk -
- May 06, 2022
K-Electric has awarded an Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) contract for the construction of 500/220 kV Grid at KANUPP – K-Electric Interconnection (KKI) to Siemens (Pakistan) Engineering Company Limited.
In a notice to Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX), Karachi’s main electric supplier informed that the estimated value of the EPC contract is around $84 million (Rs15.68 billion).
“Completion of this project will enable KE to import additional power of up to 800 MW from the national grid from summer 2024,” KE said in its notice.
Last month, KE said it has also upgraded its infrastructure in its service areas to keep pace with and facilitate the economic growth in the city’s peri and suburban regions. Aside from rehabilitation, the grids in Winder are being enhanced and the 66kV line upgraded to 132 kV along with commissioning new lines to improve transmission capacity and reliability in the region. Additionally, to improve on capacity and systemic reliability, 6 new power transformers have been integrated into the network to ensure reliable power supply to consumers across Karachi.
On the distribution front, the K-Electric claimed to make strides on its loss reduction efforts. Over 200,000 KG of illegal hooks (Kunda) have been eliminated from the system in the first 9 months of the current fiscal year, and a total of 800 Pole Mounted Transformers have been converted to Aerial Bundled Cables (ABC), with around 125,000 new connections installed. Furthermore, to focus on customer centricity, 17 additional ‘Customer Facilitation Centers’ have been deployed to facilitate our customer’s billing inquiries.
In line with Sustainable Development Goals (SDG7), KE said it has signed an MoU with Sindh Energy Department (SED) and the World Bank (WB) for the establishment of solar projects with 350MW capacity. This tri-partite collaboration is set to add another 700 GWh to KE’s total clean energy supply and off-set 300-350 kilotons per annum of carbon emissions. KE has also partnered with Akhuwat and donated PKR 7.5 million as interest free microfinance loans to households for the installation of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems within the service territory of the Company.
Aside from sustainable development, KE is heavily invested in empowering individuals and communities. After the success of the first cohort of the Roshni Baji Neighborhood Women Ambassador Programme, an expanded batch of 60 women were inducted in November 2021. They will be on field for nine months across Karachi’s most densely populated neighborhoods. By the end of March 2022, the Roshni Bajis held discussions on safety and legal connections with over 210,000 households, bridging the gap between the utility and a key demographic of women consumers in Karachi. Separately, 11 women from the first batch of the programme have been hired as KE female Meter Data Maintenance Officers (MDMO).
This programme has received international recognition at the S&P Global Platts, under the Global Energy Award.