Coal‑heavy portfolio
| Plant | Capacity | Cost | Status | Critique |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sahiwal | 1,320 MW | US $1.8 bn | Operational 2017 | 25‑year take‑or‑pay tariff denominated in US$, exposing consumers to rupee slides. |
| Port Qasim | 1,320 MW | ≈US $2 bn | Both units by 2018 | Uses imported South African coal; Karachi port congestion risk ignored. |
| Hub (Balochistan) | 1,320 MW | US $2 bn | COD Aug 2019 | Another import‑based plant; CO₂ intensity contradicts climate pledges. |
| Thar II (Engro) | 660 MW + 3.8 Mtpa mine | US $1.9 bn | Running 2019 | Indigenous lignite lowers imports but doubles local emissions. |
| Thar I (Shanghai Electric) | 1,320 MW + 7.8 Mtpa mine | ≈US $3 bn | Commissioning 2023 | Project pushed despite surplus capacity warnings. |
Hydro & renewables – promises, pauses
Karot (720 MW) finally synced to the grid in 2022 after cost overruns. Suki Kinari (884 MW) crawls toward completion. Kohala (1,124 MW) and Azad Pattan (700 MW) remain hostage to tariff quarrels and environmental litigation. Wind and solar (Jhimpir, Quaid‑e‑Azam Park) account for a token share.
Transmission twist
The Matiari–Lahore 660 kV HVDC line (US $1.7 bn) went live in 2021 but its planned twin line to Faisalabad was binned—an implicit admission that demand projections were overstated.
Editorial verdict: CPEC’s energy menu is calorie‑dense with coal and light on true renewables, saddling Pakistan with capacity payments it can ill afford.