by Ali Jaswal
ISLAMABAD, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese construction and power companies are internationally competitive, and they produce very good quality work, a Pakistani official told Xinhua in a recent interview.
"Most of these companies have an experience of working on mega projects in China as well, and some of these companies are also working overseas, so put together, they bring a very large experience as they come here and work in our country," said Sajjad Ghani, chairman of Pakistan's Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA).
Currently, several Chinese companies are working with WAPDA on more than five mega projects, including the under-construction Diamer-Bhasha Dam Project with an installed capacity of 4,500-megawatt electricity production, and Mohmand Dam Hydropower Project with a capacity of 800-megawatt electricity production, Ghani said.
He said that Chinese companies had been employed through a competitive process in Pakistan in which other companies from different parts of the world also participated.
They went through a proper selection criterion and were shortlisted through a very strict technical mechanism, Ghani said, adding that they are working under the supervision of some top international consultants.
Highlighting the significance of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the chairman said that the project plays a vital role in the country.
He said the Chinese companies in Pakistan's power sector have been working under the local framework of Independent Power Producers or within the framework of CPEC.
"They are doing a very good job contributing towards the generation of electricity at times when Pakistan is in dire need of energy," Ghani added.
He specifically mentioned the hydropower projects, including the Suki Kinari hydropower plant in the northwestern part of the country and the Karot hydropower plant in the east, under the CPEC, saying that China is doing a pretty good job through such projects in generating clean and green energy in Pakistan.
Ghani said that Pakistan plans to generate another 10,000 megawatts in the next 6 to 10 years, which means it would double its capacity to generate clean energy.
"That is the time Pakistan would have achieved a percentage of about 55 to 60 percent of all its energy, which is going to be green and clean energy," according to the official.
Launched in 2013, CPEC, the flagship project of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative, is a corridor linking the Gwadar port in southwestern Pakistan with Kashgar in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, which highlights energy, transport and industrial cooperation. ■