ISLAMABAD: Wind power project under CPEC is anther symbol of Pak-China friendship, says a report.
“Through the construction of projects under CPEC, I hope we can bring Chinese experience, equipment, and standards to Pakistan, making our contribution to Pakistan’s economic growth and contributing to the lasting Pak-China friendship,” said Sun Qiang, general manager of Three Gorges Wind Farm Pakistan Limited.
The project company belongs to a subsidiary of China Three Gorges Corporation (CTG).
Three Gorges Second Wind Power Project, located at Jhimpir, Thatta District, Sindh Province, 90KM west from Karachi, was listed as an actively promoted project in CPEC in August 2014. Sun Qiang participated in its construction in 2016.
Back in 2016, when the plane landed at Jinnah Airport in Karachi, Sun Qiang was shocked by the backward infrastructure of the airport, and could not associate it with the decades-old Eurasian transit station. The road from the airport to the project, which passes by Pakistan’s main highway – M9, also left him a deep impression.
“There were a lot of potholes on the two-lane highway, with many damaged areas, on which you could only drive 50 to 60 miles per hour.
From the highway down to the project site, it is a completely dirt road, and it feels like crossing the Gobi Desert,” Sun said.
However, in Sun Qiang’s eyes, great changes have taken place in Pakistan’s infrastructure, be it airport, highway, or road, through the construction of CPEC in the past five years.
“The highway now features two-way six-lane motor traffic. After leaving the highway, there is a new asphalt road, which can lead directly to our project site, “said Sun Qiang, adding that “it used to take me three hours to get from the airport to project site but now it only needs an hour!”
In 2017, Sun Qiang took a photo with nearby villagers when CTG donated provisions to them. [Photo provided by interviewee]
Building a large-scale wind power plant in a foreign country is by no means easy. When the construction of the Three Gorges First Wind Power Project started, there’s no equipment to meet the requirements, no reliable suppliers of infrastructure materials, and even no experienced local labor force in the Pakistani market. – Agencies
