The Sindh government is setting new benchmarks in infrastructure development, energy, innovation, and environmental sustainability through strategic public-private partnerships (PPPs).
Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah said this on Tuesday as the province marked three major milestones with the EnerTech Holding Company. A ceremony was organised at the CM House to mark the commercial operations date (COD) of the Nabisar–Vajihar Water Supply Project, execution of the concession agreement for the NED Science & Technology Park, and signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the TP-IV Wastewater Treatment Project. Collectively, the three projects represented investments exceeding $740 million.
Speaking at the ceremony, the CM said these initiatives under the PPP framework reflected Sindh’s “firm commitment to infrastructure development, energy security, innovation, environmental sustainability, and effective public-private collaboration.”
Terming the Nabisar–Vajihar Water Supply Project a landmark achievement and one of the largest and most complex PPP schemes in Sindh’s history, the CM said the project would ensure a reliable and sustainable water supply to Thar coal power plants directly supporting 1,650 megawatts of power generation and contributing to a reduction in the national cost of electricity.
The $215m project would supply 45 cusecs of water to Thar Block-I power plants. Implemented under a government-to-government PPP arrangement, it attracted significant foreign direct investment, backed by close cooperation between the governments of Sindh and Kuwait.
Shah said Sindh possessed the world’s sixth-largest coal reserves in Thar, which had remained unutilised for decades. “Tharparkar has now surprised everyone. Today, the cheapest electricity in the world is being produced from Thar coal,” he claimed.
The CM recalled that water availability had been one of the biggest challenges for the Thar coal projects. “We consciously decided not to use river water, as it is already scarce. Instead, we developed an alternative solution,” he said, referring to the Nabisar–Vajihar scheme.
Shah congratulated EnerTech Water (Pvt) Ltd CEO Abdullah Al Mutairi for completing the project within agreed timelines and achieving cost savings of over Rs7 billion, adding that the PPP framework had once again demonstrated its ability to mobilise private capital for critical public infrastructure.
The CM said the execution of the concession agreement for the NED Science & Technology Park marked another historic milestone, as it would be Pakistan’s first university-based science and technology park developed under the PPP mode.
“Anchored at NED University, this project will position Sindh as a hub for the knowledge-based economy and create high-value employment opportunities,” the CM said. He noted that the project, being undertaken with EnerTech, a subsidiary of the Kuwait government, had previously faced multiple hurdles, including regulatory constraints. “This project has been inaugurated several times before, but now it is final. Today, we are implementing the concession agreement,” he remarked, urging EnerTech to complete the scheme at the fastest possible pace.
The CM maintained that once operational, the technology park would offer facilities comparable to those in Silicon Valley. Discussing the importance of environmental sustainability, the CM said the TP-IV Wastewater Treatment Project, with an estimated cost exceeding $400m, would address a long-standing gap in Karachi’s wastewater management.
“This project will ensure environmentally compliant wastewater treatment while providing industrial-grade water to Karachi’s industries - a milestone that has remained unachieved at both provincial and federal levels until now,” he said.
The CM described the scheme, to be implemented jointly by the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation and EnerTech, as the largest initiative of its kind in the city. Shah said these milestones formed part of Sindh’s broader PPP portfolio, which included flagship road and infrastructure schemes such as the Hyderabad–Mirpurkhas Dual Carriageway, Karachi–Thatta Dual Carriageway, and Shahrah-e-Bhutto Expressway, as well as major initiatives in public transport, water, education, health and urban infrastructure.
Referring to urban challenges, particularly in Karachi, the CM admitted there were serious issues due to rapid and unplanned population growth. “These problems were not created by me, but I take responsibility for resolving them and am making every effort to do so,” he said.
The CM announced that Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari would soon inaugurate an Indus Hospital Network facility in Korangi. He added that a new bridge named after Taj Haider had been constructed on the Korangi Causeway to prevent disruption during rains.
