Located in the desert area of Lal Sohanra, spanning 2,630 hectares with installed flat-panel PV and a total installed capacity of 1,000 MW, the Quaid-e-Azam Solar Park is one of the world‘s largest solar power plant. Being the first utility-scale, grid connected solar power plant of Pakistan, the project consists of three phases (Phase I – 100 MW, Phase II – 300MW and Phase III – 600MW). The Solar Park in the long run is expected to play a critical role in attempting to bridge the supply demand gap that Pakistan is facing.

 

Project Information

Project name
Quaid-e-Azam Solar Park

Type
Energy 

Location
Bahawalpur, Punjab Province, Pakistan

BRI Corridor
China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)

Current Status
The Solar Park was officially inaugurated on April 20, 2015, in a ceremony attended by Pakistan‘s Prime Minister Mohammad Nawaz Sharif and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Phase II (300 MW) was connected to the grid in June 2016 and Phase III (600 MW) of the project is currently under construction.

Start of Construction
May 2015

Chinese Involvement
Phase I: China-based TBEA Xinjiang SunOasis Co. Ltd. provided the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC), as well as the operation and maintenance (O&M) for the project. Phase II: Zonergy Company Ltd provided the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) of the project.

Projected Total Project Costs
USD 1.301 billion (Phase I, II, III)
USD 149.6 million (Phase I)

Electricity Pricing
It is claimed, that the solar power is being sold to the grid at USD 0.1497/kWh.
TBEA Xinjiang Sunoasis Co. Ltd. was awarded a power generation license by the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPR) for 25 years.

Bidding
Phase I: In total 12 companies applied for pre-qualification, of which three were shortlisted. Chinese company, TBEA Xinjiang SunOasis Co. Ltd., was then awarded the project contract. TBEA bid USD 152 million for the EPC contract, plus  USD 4.7m for onshore taxes.

Coordinating Ministry
Ministry of Water and Power

Supervising Agency
Punjab Power Development Board (PPDB) / Alternative Energy Development Board (AEDB)

Operator
Quaid-e-Azam Solar Power (Pvt.) Ltd is a public-sector for-profit company wholly owned by the government of Punjab. The Punjab Privatisation Board (PPB) approved the privatisation of the 100MW portion of QASPL owned by Punjab in July 2017 and initiated the bidding process.

Financing
Phase I of the Solar Park was financed by the Punjab government and the Bank of Punjab. China Exim Bank and China Development Bank had provided funds for phase II and III of the project.

Additional Project Information
The Quaid-e-Azam Solar Park was named after the founder of Pakistan, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah.
Around 400 Chinese workers and over 2,000 laborers were involved in the construction of the solar park.
In Phase I, at least 0.5 million solar panels (poly-crystalline photovoltaic cells) were installed in three blocks.
The solar panels feed into the national grid for around 8-10 hours each day without battery systems to store energy for night-time distribution.

Further Information
Generation License Application (Phase 1)
Masterplanning Quaid-e-Azam Solar Park
Project design document CDM
Quaid-e-Azam Solar Power (Private) Limited (QASPL) Credit Rating Report
TBEA