CPEC role instrumental in meeting Pakistan's energy needs
Business
CPEC role instrumental in meeting Pakistan’s energy needs
LAHORE (Dunya Investigation Cell) - China not only laid a network of roads to improve Pakistan's infrastructure, but also completed 14 projects in the energy sector to bring Pakistan out of darkness under the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
This, in turn, added almost 8,000 MW of electricity in the National Grid.
During the last 10 years, seven coal-fired power generation plants, four wind power generation projects, while one each of hydropower and solar power projects have been completed with investment of so far more than $14.1 billion in these projects and also creating more than thirty four thousand jobs.
In terms of jobs given in provinces, according to the data of the Ministry of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives, 14,016 people have been given jobs in Sindh, 8,511 people in Punjab, 5,200 in Balochistan, 4,000 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa from the electricity projects under the banner of China Pakistan Economic Corridor.
1,320 MW of coal-fired power generation projects have been set up in Sahiwal, Port Qasim in Sindh, Karachi and Balochistan hub.
Apart from this, two projects of 660 MW have been completed in Sindh with the cooperation of Shanghai Electric, which are generating a total of 1,320MW of electricity.
In addition, the projects of Thar Coal Power Plant and 330MW Hibko Thal Nawa Thar Coal Power Plant have been completed, 2,640MW of electricity is being added to the National Grid from these four coal projects while $3.9 billion are spent on these projects.
Under the banner of CPEC, the Croat hydropower project was also completed on the Jhelum River at a cost of $4.87 billion which added 720MW of electricity to the national grid.
Thus, in the last 10 years, under CPEC, nine power projects in Sindh, two in Punjab, one in Balochistan and one on the Jhelum River have been completed while one transmission line project between Sindh and Punjab have been completed at a cost of $2.54 billion.
According to the data of the recent Economic Survey of Pakistan, the country currently has the capacity to generate 41,000 megawatts of electricity, including 10,592 megawatts of hydropower, 24095 megawatts of thermal power, 3,530 megawatts of nuclear power.
Under CPEC, 8,020MW of electricity has been added to the national grid so 20 percent of the electricity included in the current national grid is from the projects that have been completed in the last 10 years that completed with the participation of CPEC.
