Spokesman Report
ISLAMABAD: China Three Gorges South Asia Investment Ltd (CSAIL) recently launched a report titled “Overview of Pakistan’s Power Sector and its Future Outlook” that summarizes the precious practical and theoretical achievements in the construction of China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Power Projects and looks forward to the future development direction of the industry.
The report also analyzes the current situation of Pakistan’s Power Sector besides highlighting the achievements of CPEC Power Projects.
The report was jointly prepared by CSAIL with the assistance of relevant think tanks such as Pakistan China Institute (PCI), National University of Science and Technology (NUST), Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI), and other relevant think tanks and dozens of senior experts and scholars from Pakistan’s Power Sector.
The report was launched in a ceremony here that was attended by local and international experts and scholars.
The chief guest of the ceremony Minister for Energy (Power Division) Khurram Dastgir Khan, said that since the launch of the CPEC, the related power sector projects are progressing smoothly. In terms of energy, China has launched a series of power projects under the CPEC to help Pakistan meet its residential and industrial electricity demand.
He said Pakistan’s energy shortages have been greatly alleviated. The electricity has always been one of the constraints on Pakistan’s development, and China has been able to enhance Pakistan’s energy supply capacity not only through the efficient use of various energy resources, but also by helping Pakistan to build various types of power projects.
He said the report is beneficial to deepen the understanding of Pakistani people on the current situation and future development of Pakistan’s power sector, as well as the contribution of the CPEC to Pakistan’s Power Sector. “People in relevant fields in Pakistan should learn from Chinese personnel and deepen industrial cooperation between the two countries through the construction of projects like the CPEC Projects. China is an important partner of Pakistan in the energy sector, and China’s development experience is worth learning for Pakistan.”
Chief Representative of CSAIL, Zhang Jun said that Three Gorges Group is committed to provide affordable and clean energy for Pakistan, while investing in Pakistan’s power sector, and the Karot Hydropower Project, with a total installed capacity of 720 MW, is a flagship project of the Three Gorges Group in Pakistan.
During the past 7 years of construction of Karot Project, we have seen engineers, managers and workers from China and Pakistan working together to overcome very serious events, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, however, they still achieved the Commercial Operation Date (COD) 54 days ahead of schedule.
Karot Project has provided 1.3 billion units of clean and cheap electricity to Pakistan’s power grid, since it started generating power this summer. The power station has been operating very smoothly, providing effective power security for Pakistan through this hot summer season and playing its role in Pakistan’s flood control. As a Chinese engineer, who has witnessed the whole process of investment in this project, he is immensely proud of what the professionals of China and Pakistan have achieved through their joint efforts.
Chairman of PCI, Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed termed the report a ‘Primer of Pakistan’s Power Sector’ since it aptly describes the on-ground situation of Power Projects in Pakistan and provides detailed analysis regarding opportunities and challenges in the Power Sector. The report, he said, needs to be widely circulated so that it can contribute to public-private partnerships in the power sector. Moreover, he termed Pakistan’s relationship with China deep rooted and multifaceted. The relationship between Pakistan and China, he believed, cannot be seen through the lens of CPEC since this relationship extends beyond it i.e., people-to-people connectivity, economic partnership, and support to each other on their core interests.
Director of the Political Information Office of the Chinese Embassy in Pakistan,Wang Shengjie said that the Power Sector of Pakistan is the most invested section of the CPEC and is a successful example of early harvest, making a special and irreplaceable contribution to solving the power shortages and serving the economic and social development of Pakistan, especially in such difficult times as the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and floods is ongoing.