Gwadar to get 40MW local power plant as outages from Iran imports raise risks

Pakistan’s power planners have proposed setting up a 40MW local generation plant for Gwadar, citing repeated disruptions in electricity imports from Iran and growing concerns over energy security in the port city, The News reported. 

The proposal, outlined in a report by the Independent System and Market Operator (ISMO) submitted to the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA), describes the current supply arrangement as unreliable due to dependence on cross-border electricity flows.

According to the report, imports from Iran—Gwadar’s main source of electricity—were completely unavailable for 130 hours in 2024 and 246 hours in 2025. In addition, partial supply shortfalls persisted for up to 2,000 hours annually.

Overall, power shortages affected the system 21% of the time in 2024 and 26% in 2025, despite a nominal import capacity of 100MW through the Polan interconnection.

Planners noted that reliability, rather than capacity, has become the primary constraint, particularly during peak summer months when outages intensify.

Supplying Gwadar from the national grid has been assessed as technically and economically unviable in the near term. The existing 800-kilometre, 132kV Khuzdar–Gwadar transmission line suffers from voltage instability, high losses and frequent outages, limiting effective supply.

Even with planned upgrades, including installation of a STATCOM system at Pasni, the maximum stable supply is expected to reach only 73MW, which remains insufficient to meet projected demand.

Officials said building a new 220kV transmission link would cost over $500 million, making it impractical given current demand levels.

The report also highlighted security concerns associated with long transmission lines passing through remote areas, along with technical limitations preventing synchronised operation between Iran’s grid and Pakistan’s system.

In this context, planners have identified a locally based generation solution as the most feasible option to ensure uninterrupted supply.

The proposed plant, expected to be commissioned by July 2027, would operate alongside Iranian imports and also function independently in “island mode” during extended outages.

Gwadar’s peak electricity demand is projected at 42MW by FY2027-28, with the proposed 40MW facility considered sufficient to meet most of the city’s requirements.