By Minahil Makhdoom
ISLAMABAD: Ambassador of China to Pakistan, His Excellence Nong Rong on Thursday congratulated the signing of implementation and water use agreements for the 1124 MW Kohala Hydro power project.
In his tweet, he said that the project being carried out under the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) was signed between Azad Jammu and the government of Kashmir and China Three Gorges Company. “The total investment is 2.4 billion dollars and the average annual power generation is 5.149 billion kWh,” he adds.
Last month, Kohala Hydropower Company Ltd and Azad Jammu Kashmir government had signed an agreement on the implementation of water use of the upcoming CPEC-sponsored Kohala Hydropower Project covering the Jhelum river is being built. by AJK’s capital Muzaffarabad.
The project will produce 1124 megawatts of electricity costing $ 2.4 billion.
Azad Jammu and Kashmir Electricity Secretary Zafar Mehmood and CEO of the Chinese Three Gorge Enterprise signed the agreement.
AJK Prime Minister Raja Farooq Haider Khan and Federal Minister Hamad Azhar were also present at the event.
Kohala Hydropower Project, being built on the Jhelum River in Azad Jammu Kashmir under CPEC, has been awarded to the Kohala Hydropower Company Ltd (KHCL), which is a subsidiary of China’s Three Gorges Corporation (CTGC).
The project will produce 1124 megawatts of electricity costing $ 2.4 billion. The project will create eight thousand jobs for the youth of Azad Kashmir.
The Azad Jammu Kashmir government will receive approximately 2.5 billion rupees annually in the form of water use costs and the project will be handed over to the Azad Kashmir government after thirty years.
