ISLAMABAD: The CPEC, an important pilot project of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), has helped Pakistan to overcome the energy crisis and paved a way for the country’s economic prosperity, Pakistani officials said. Pakistan’s Energy Minister Hammad Azhar told that “the power plants built under the CPEC hold immense importance” for the country as they have largely solved the serious electricity shortage in Pakistan, bringing advanced technology and creating job opportunities. Citing the example of the ±660kV Matiari-Lahore high-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission project under the CPEC, he said that it is a boon for the country’s power sector because it will save energy consumption and transmit cheap electricity from the CPEC’s southern power plants to the northern load centers of the country, which will further “address the issues of energy shortage and inflated price of electricity.” The CPEC’s southern power plants and the transmission line project, which officially started high-power transmission Friday and is expected to be put into commercial operation later this year, will ensure the supply availability, stability and security, supporting the industrialization process in the country, the minister said. Talking about the future of the BRI as a green BRI, and the CPEC as a green corridor, he said the country is striving to achieve “the target of 30 percent renewable energy in the national grid up till 2030, and the CPEC will play a vital role for it” due to its fair contribution in renewable energy projects including hydropower, wind and solar. – Agencies
