Analysis of power plants in China Pakistan economic corridor (CPEC): An application of analytic network process (ANP)

Abstract

The availability of consistent and cheap energy is key to a sustainable economy. The challenge of cheap, clean, and sustainable energy supply is faced by all countries. Pakistan is an energy starved country and is trying to overcome its energy woes by installing different types of energy plants under the massive investment of China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). This paper attempts to determine the suitability of existing power plants installed under the umbrella of CPEC in Pakistan. By considering four different types of power plants, i.e., Coal, Hydro, Solar, and wind, with four essential criteria of Technical, Economic, Life Quality, and Socioeconomic and 11 sub-criterias, the appropriate model has been formulated consisting of goals, criteria, sub-criteria, and alternatives. The analytical network process approach has been applied that uses the principle of multi-criteria decision making to rank and evaluate the four alternatives of electricity generation. The quantitative secondary data were collected from the governmental organizations and international research publications. The results show that hydro power plants are the best source of electricity generation followed by wind, solar, and coal. The proposed decision framework can be used for formulating policies aiming at low cost, clean, and secure energy generation.