In a milestone development, Gwadar has finally begun receiving 100 MW of electricity from Iran, offering much-needed relief to local people suffering from long hours of power outages, Gwadar Pro reported on Monday. The 100 MW of electricity being imported from the Iranian border is now flowing uninterruptedly into the Gwadar Grid Station, through which power supply is being transferred into every home, in accordance with the agreement signed between the governments of Pakistan and Iran last week. Mr Tarik, the Sub Divisional Officer of the Quetta Electric Supply Company (QESCO), confirmed to Gwadar Pro that this is a heyday for Gwadar, as the supply of 100 MW power from Iran has finally arrived in Gwadar, and the promise has been realized. Another QESCO official stated that the per-unit electricity fare will be the same as everywhere else in Pakistan, in accordance with the levy fixed by the National Transmission and Dispatch Company (NTDC).

Gwadar is located in Pakistan's southwestern Balochistan province. The port city of Gwadar is not connected to the national grid and has thus far relied on power from Iran. Last week, Pakistan's Energy Minister, Khurram Dastgir, travelled to Iran to finalize an agreement for power supply. He held meetings with his counterpart, Iranian Energy Minister Ali Akber Mehrabian, and other Iranian officials.  Three sessions were held between technical teams on both sides, culminating in the signing of an agreement on March 13th to provide 100 megawatts of electricity to Pakistan. Prior to this agreement, a high-level delegation from Iran's power division visited Gwadar on February 21st to finalize the power purchase/sell agreement with Pakistan.

The delegation ironed out the details of the deal, including the per-unit price of electricity for residential and commercial purposes. Under a new project, new infrastructure has been installed, including a double circuit 132 KV transmission line from Kalatu (a city in Pakistan near the Pak-Iran border) to Jiwani Grid Station, spanning over 29 kilometres.  This 29-kilometre connection was the missing link that has now been established. However, a double transmission line stretching 75 kilometers from Jiwani Grid Station to Gwadar Grid Station was laid down several years ago. Apart from this new power supply line, there is also an old power infrastructure available from another Pak-Iran border near the "Panjgur" area that is linked to Gwadar and providing around 40-70 MW. However, due to its long distance of around 400 kilometers from Pak-Iran border to Gwadar, power losses, and power outages in other districts of Makran division, Gwadar used to plunge into darkness on account of not getting a regular and stable power supply.

Zumurd Baloch, a resident of Gwadar City, told Gwadar Pro that the old power system from the Pak-Iran border near Panjgur to Gwadar was lopsided and had traumatized the lives of common people on account of the system's floppiness. Meanwhile, he expressed relief on the new transmission line from Pak-Iran border Kalatu near Gabd-Remdan to Jiwani and Gwadar, saying that it will  get rid of long hours of power outage. Another resident, Mohsin Jan, who trades in building materials, said that Gwadar's business had been languishing in the backdrop of sporadic availability of electricity. The new power supply from Iran is a breath of fresh air for the Gwadar industry, trade, and local people.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan-INP