In a significant technical achievement, the National Transmission & Despatch Company (NTDC) recently executed its first-ever live-line maintenance on the ±660 kV Matiari‑Lahore HVDC transmission line, a flagship corridor under the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) initiative.
The operation took place at Tower 1885 near Lahore while the system remained fully energised, ensuring uninterrupted power flow. The transmission line stretches 878 km and connects Matiari in Sindh to Lahore in Punjab, enabling up to 4,000 MW of electricity transfer from the south to the north of Pakistan.
NTDC officials emphasised that carrying out maintenance without taking the line offline demonstrates the company’s readiness to handle complex technical interventions while maintaining grid reliability. “The tower’s maintenance under live conditions demonstrates the company’s readiness to handle complex technical interventions without suspending the line’s operations,” said a spokesperson.
Supervised by Dr Rana Abdul Jabbar Khan, General Manager (HVDC), the team was praised for its professionalism, adherence to safety standards, and teamwork. The Matiari-Lahore line was executed by China Electric Power Equipment and Technology Co., Ltd. (CET) and sponsored by State Grid Corporation of China (SGCC) under the CPEC framework.
This development is viewed as a major milestone for Pakistan’s transmission infrastructure, reducing the need for outages during maintenance and improving overall power delivery efficiency. With the line fully operational during the work, the move also signals enhanced capacity for grid-management in future, supporting nationwide energy stability and reducing transmission losses.
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