KARACHI: A major hydropower project, which is being constructed under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, successfully closed the gates of diversion tunnels on Saturday to start reservoir impoundment, making senior government functionaries describe the development as a huge “milestone.”
The Karot Hydropower Project has an installed power generation capacity of 720 megawatts and is built at an estimated cost of $1.7 billion.
It is the first run-of-river gravity dam under the joint corridor framework which has reached the advanced construction stage and is expected to pave the way for the wet testing of the generator units.
“It is a big achievement,” Khalid Mansoor, the top CPEC official in Pakistan, told Arab News on Saturday. “It will be a big milestone for CPEC energy projects.”
The breakthrough has been announced at a time when media reports have been circulating regarding a slow pace of the corridor project.
Mansoor, however, categorically denied any slowdown in CPEC initiatives.
“Everything is under control,” he said. “Even small issues arising during the course of these projects have been resolved in the best possible manner.”
Mansoor maintained all projects would be completed within their scheduled timeframe.
This undated image shows the layout of the Karot Hydropower Project which is constructed under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor at an estimated cost of $1.7 billion. (Photo courtesy: Social media)
The Karot Hydropower Project is being built on the Jhelum River about 55 kilometers southeast of the country’s capital, Islamabad.
The investment on the project has been made by China’s state-owned Three Gorges Corporation.
More than 90 percent work on the project has already been completed, and power generation is expected to start from April 2022, according to official documents.
After the completion of the project, the company will run and maintain it for 30 years at a levelized tariff of 7.57 cents per unit after which it will be transferred to the Punjab government at a notional price of Rs1, according to the Karot Power Company that is doing the construction work.
Official documents reveal the project has provided about 4,870 jobs to local residents of the area.
The completion of the project will not only address Pakistan’s energy requirements but also take the country closer to its objective of using a larger quantum of clean energy by 2030.
