Energy crisis: Shahbaz welcomes Chinese interest

Chief minister says six sites have been identified for coal-based power plants.

LAHORE:

“The energy crisis has crippled the national economy. The government is making efforts to resolve this issue at the earliest,” Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif said on Sunday.

He said the government was working on several power projects to overcome shortage of electricity.

Shahbaz said an international investment conference on energy was being planned in Lahore. He said several local and foreign power companies and investors had expressed interest in investment in the province.



He was talking to a delegation of China Machinery Engineering Corporation.

The meeting ended with an agreement on cooperation in energy and coal mining sectors.

Minister for Minerals Chaudhary Sher Ali Khan, the Planning and Development Board chairman and the Energy Department additional chief secretary were also present.

Talking to the delegation, the chief minister said the government had devised a scheme of special incentives to encourage investment.

He said the government was working on two coal-based power plants of 660MW each.

He said cooperation of the Chinese company would be welcome.

He said the government had identified six sites for the coal-based power plants. He said work on the plants would soon be completed.

He said the Punjab had a large reserve of coal and the government wanted to utilise these resources for power generation projects.

He said power plants operated on imported coal would established for the time being.

He said the government hoped to create job opportunities in the coal mining sector.

China Machinery Engineering Corporation Director General Li Kan said his company was interested in working with the government in energy and coal mining sectors. He said that his company had worked on several energy projects in various countries, including Pakistan, specialised in the mining sector.

He briefed the meeting about several China Machinery Engineering Corporation projects.

The delegation included Commercial Manager Jenny Wu and Chief Engineer Wang Qingjia, Chief Engineer Ali Raza, Consultant Adil Mahmood and Ashfaq Hussain Malik.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 27^th, 2014.