Azad Pattan Hydropower Project

The Azad Pattan Hydropower Project is a 700.7 MW hydroelectric power station on the Jhelum River roughly 7 km upstream of Azad Pattan Bridge in the Sudhanoti District, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan and 90 km from Islamabad, the capital city of Pakistan.[2][3] The project is scheduled for completion by 2026. In July 2020, the project's $1.5 billion investment agreement was signed between Chinese state-owned China Gezhouba Group and Pakistan, in a ceremony attended by Prime Minister Imran Khan and senior government ministers.[4][5]

Azad Pattan Hydropower Project
Project Layout
Location of Azad Pattan Hydropower Project in Pakistan
Country	Pakistan
Location	Sudhanoti District, Azad Kashmir
Coordinates	33°46′3.9″N 73°34′17.45″E
Opening date	2026
Construction cost	$1.517 billion
Owner(s)	China Ghezouba Group, Laraib Group
Dam and spillways
Type of dam	Gravity dam, Run of the river
Impounds	Jhelum River
Height	90 m (295 ft)
Length	80 m (262 ft)
Power Station
Turbines	4 x 160 MW
Installed capacity	700  MW (10% continuous overload)[1]
Annual generation	3064 GWh

Upon finalizing the EPC and other associated costs, the project company submitted its EPC tariff proposal on 23 June 2017. Following an intensive evaluation process, NEPRA determined the tariff vide Determination dated 17 May 2018. Tariff of US ¢ 7.12/kWh (levelized) was determined for the 30-year term; with an average of US ¢ 5.93/kWh. The average and levelized tariff for the first 10 years is US ¢ 8.13/kWh while the average tariff for the next 20 years is US ¢ 4.83/kWh (levelized US ¢ 5.20/kWh). This has the distinction of being the lowest tariff of all the large private hydropower projects (over 500MW) on rivers in Pakistan.[6]

The JCC (Joint Cooperation Committee) for CPEC related projects conducted a study on power market of Pakistan, which led to the decision that both sides will discuss the inclusion of the project at the fifth Expert Panel meeting.[7] Later project was added in CPEC.[8]