The 500 kV transmission tower in Punjab Province, Pakistan extends along an open plain. In October 2026, the State Grid Corporation of Pakistan (NGC) officially issued a sealed bidding invitation for the second phase of the transmission strengthening project PTSP-II financed by the Asian Development Bank, providing full chain engineering services for the global procurement of 500 kV double circuit four split conductor transmission lines. As a result, the upgrading process of Pakistan's national backbone network entered the substantive bidding stage.

Backbone network upgrade covers two core hubs

The complete project purchased this time includes two core construction contents. The first part is to disconnect the 500 kV Gazibarota to Lavat single circuit transmission line and connect it to the Faisalabad West substation. The total length of the new line is about 280 kilometers, and all lines will be constructed using the 500 kV double circuit four split conductor standard. The second part is to disconnect the two circuits of the 500 kV Gazi Barota to Rawat transmission line and connect them to the Islamabad West substation, forming two 6-kilometer double circuit connection lines.

In the first three quarters of 2026, Pakistan's national electricity demand increased by 7.2% year-on-year. Punjab Province, as a core area of population and industry, achieved a growth rate of 9.4% in electricity consumption. The load rate of some channels in the original 500 kV backbone network has exceeded 85%, and there are obvious shortcomings in power supply reliability. After the completion of this line renovation, the interconnection capacity of the 500 kV power grid between central Punjab and Islamabad Capital Region will be increased by more than 40%, and the flexibility of inter regional power mutual assistance will be greatly enhanced.

ADB financing projects open for global bidding

The funding for this project is provided by the Asian Development Bank, and all qualified international and domestic bidders can participate in bidding by obtaining the bidding documents in accordance with regulations. The technical bid will be officially opened under the witness of the bidders' representatives present, and the procurement management requirements of the Asian Development Bank and Pakistan State Grid will be strictly followed throughout the process. The project covers the entire process of design, manufacturing, supply, installation, testing, and commissioning of transmission lines, and is a turnkey EPC project.

Since 2026, energy infrastructure projects under the China Pakistan Economic Corridor 2.0 have continued to advance, and the market space for upgrading Pakistan's national transmission network has been continuously released. The demand for the transformation of backbone networks with voltage levels of 500 kV and above has been concentrated. This bidding provides a core entry point for global power transmission and transformation engineering enterprises to directly participate in Pakistan's national level power grid upgrade project. After the subsequent project is completed and put into operation, it will transmit clean electricity from the northern hydropower base of Pakistan to the southern load center, and open up a new backbone transmission channel. Keywords: power grid engineering, infrastructure engineering

After the completion of the new transmission line on the Punjab plain, the stability of the backbone network of Pakistan's national power grid will be qualitatively improved, laying a solid foundation for the reliable and stable supply of electricity throughout the country.Editor/Cheng Liting