BEIJING: China has said that most of the early harvest energy projects being built under China-Pakistan Economic Corridor in Pakistan will be completed before 2019.
Addressing a press conference in Beijing on Wednesday, Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Hua Chunying said that eleven out of the seventeen priority energy projects jointly planned by the Chinese and Pakistani sides under the corridor are under construction.
Answering a question about the recently inaugurated first phase of Sahiwal power plant, the spokesperson said that coal-fired power plant is an important energy project under CPEC, and will ease electricity shortage for the benefit of the people in Pakistan.
She said that once completed the plant will become one of Pakistan’s coal power plants with the largest installed capacity, generating 1320 MW electricity which will meet the energy needs of nearly 10 million people.
She further said the inauguration signifies that we will soon see a host of energy projects under the corridor be constructed and completed.
“A majority of energy projects are expected to be completed by the end of 2019, which will help relieve energy shortage in Pakistan and bring benefits to people there,” she said.
The Chinese spokesman said that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif attended the ceremony on May 25 and highly commended workers of China and Pakistan by completing the construction in a record time within just 22 months.
She said that energy shortage in Pakistan will be greatly relieved and economic growth benefited due to the large scale projects of CPEC.
She said that China’s Belt and Road Initiative is creating positive effects in Pakistan and will also change the fate of countries and people along the routes.
“We are glad to see that the Belt and Road, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor included, delivers benefits to countries and people along the routes,” she said.
She said that people of Pakistan have started feeling the benefits after extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, and they will work to more tangible benefits to the people.
