KARACHI: The Karot Hydropower Station, the first hydropower project under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), closed the gates of its diversion tunnels after six years of construction and started reservoir impoundment, a statement said on Saturday.
According to the statement, it's a milestone event, marking the completion of around 95 per cent of the project.
The Karot Hydropower Station is located on the Jhelum River in Pakistan's eastern province of Punjab. With an installed capacity of 7,200 megawatts, it is expected to provide over 3 billion kilowatt hours of clean energy each year, supplying electricity to about 5 million people in the country.
Head of Engineering Department of China Three Gorges South Asia Investment Ltd (CSAIL) Zuo Yaxi said they spent two years working out solutions to cope with the sandstone and mudstone underground, which interrupted grouting work.
He added that the cement used for the construction was produced locally, so they tried very hard to control temperature rise and reduce cracks in the concrete.
N.A Zubeiri, senior consultant at the CSAIL said the project provided employment to 3000 to 5000 people. He explained that the tariff for the project is around 7.5 U.S. cents per unit, which would result in bringing down electricity costs for consumers in Pakistan.
The Karot Hydropower Station is the first investment project of the Silk Road Fund, and is part of the CPEC. The project is an investment by China Three Gorges Corporation, a Chinese enterprise that is listed among the world's largest producers of hydroelectric power.
Its subsidiary, the CSAIL, holds majority share of the Karot Power Company that operates the plant. The plant will be transferred to the government of Punjab after 30 years. Once completed, the project is also expected to help reduce carbon dioxide emissions in Pakistan by 3.5 million tonnes per year.