ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan, which is grappling with an energy crisis, is going to seek assistance from China to implement 19 energy projects to meet water and power requirements in a meeting of Pak-China Joint Energy Working Group scheduled to be held on August 1-2 in Beijing.
Pakistan is currently working on Chashma-3 and 4 nuclear power plants and the two sides are also expected to make some progress on cooperation in constructing these projects in the upcoming first meeting of the working group. China is already extending cooperation in meeting Pakistan’s energy demand.
Federal Water and Power Minister Syed Naveed Qamar, who is chairman of the working group from Pakistani side, will lead a delegation to these important deliberations. He will reach Beijing today (Sunday).
The 19 projects include four power generation projects of about 2,297 megawatts, one coal power project of 405 MW, one project for development of infrastructure and mining and power generation from Thar coal, four projects of small and medium dams, five projects of transmission lines and power distribution, one project of alternative energy and two projects of geological survey.
The four power projects include 840MW Sukhi Kinari plant, 100MW Kotli plant, 157MW Madian plant and 1,200MW AES imported coal-based plant.
Pakistan will seek Chinese technical assistance, financing and engineering procurement contract. All the power generation projects will be completed within three to five years.
Naveed Qamar has said through the joint working group, Chinese government, companies, investors and entrepreneurs will be invited and encouraged to participate in various initiatives undertaken for the development of power sector.
He said the government would facilitate and provide incentives to the Chinese for investment in water, power and other energy projects, adding the government was committed to addressing energy shortages and achieving energy security objectives on a sustainable basis.
He expressed hope that the working group meeting would be fruitful and the country would get assurance of more cooperation from China in the energy sector.
The working group was constituted following signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Pakistan and China to promote energy cooperation. Under the MoU, which was proposed by the National Energy Administration of China, the working group was assigned the task to cooperate in different areas including oil and gas, coal, conventional power, nuclear and renewable energy.
During the visit of Chinese premier Wen Jiabao to Pakistan in December 2010, it was decided that China would provide financing and cooperate in development of conventional, renewable and civil nuclear energy projects, to be identified by Pakistan.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 31st, 2011.
COMMENTS (5)
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@Plz Keep: Hahahahaha.. First of Let's see who made this documentary = BBC,, British B/S Corporation. Who does nothing but speading bunch of lies all over the world. Once discarded that Fake News Corporation. Things are ver clear. There is a Hindu Terrorist Hiding Under the Guise of Plz Keep who and his counrtymen are scared to death with PAK-CHINA friendship because they will haveno where to go. Therefore , these Plz Keep Type RSS Terrorists are coming here to take their shots. Its Not going to succeed, No Matter what you do. People of Pakistan will allw any country but You Indians. Bang.
Please keep the Chinese off Pakistan! Please I tell you.
Watch the BBC documentary "The chinese are coming"
We think this is all great but it really isn't, the Chinese will employ their own labour which will be imported from China, they will use their own cement and construction material instead of investing in local companies, they will use their own food imported from China instead of imporving and investing in Pakistan, they will use their own engineer and will not employ local labour.
It's sad but true. Please watch the documentary. I don't want Pakistan to be treated as some African or South American state by the Chinese.
China is great country they r working in many countries and devoleping those countries infrastucture building roads air ports and power plants china is new kind of power unlike others who just stole natural resouces of countries but china giving back at least some.
And who will pay for these projects?. First put atleast 25% of project funds on table then talk.A time has come that no one is taking seriously the infrastructure investments in the country.With power subsidies and circular debt ( which is bad debt in fact) who would like to invest in power sector?.