It’s a positive sign that the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) continues to invigorate green transformation in the country, energizing socio-economic development. This initiative has significantly bolstered and diversified the country’s energy sector, increasing its installed and generating capacity.
Interestingly, energy has consistently been one of the primary focuses of the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). In the first half of this year, over 40 percent of BRI energy projects announced were wind and solar, with 22 percent each for gas and oil, and zero for coal projects.
In this connection, the keynote speech of the Chinese President at the UN General Assembly (UNGA) in September 2021 clearly demonstrated his vision about green energy transformation. He announced that China would no longer support the construction of coal-fired power plants abroad. He also stated that the country would “step up” support for “green and low-carbon energy” in fellow developing countries.
The operationalization and channelization of all the 12 wind power projects in Thatta, Sindh with an installed capacity of 610 megawatts have been connected to the national grid making another value addition in the country’s energy sector. Obviously, the green energy transformation is gaining momentum and more than 100 wind turbines in the Thatta district are constantly delivering green power to households in the rural areas as part of the CPEC. Thus a mega rural development and transformation process has been initiated to bring peace and comfort in the lives of common people along with social upliftment, eradication of poverty, generation of new jobs and, most importantly, initiation and institutionalization of climate’s friendly energy source mitigating spillover effects of devastating global warming in the country. The cheap source of energy has now become reality, converting the lives of common people. The provision of an environment-friendly source of energy is impacting its geography and gearing up its overall socio-economic development in Thatta.
The wind energy project has multiplier socio-economic dividends and creation of over 20,000 new jobs for locals is testimony of it. Moreover, the generation of 2 billion kilowatt-hours of clean energy annually, equivalent to a two-million-tonne reduction in carbon dioxide emissions has further highlighted its multidimensional utility and importance alike.
Additionally, overall energy projects have been a dominating factor in the CPEC Phase-I in the country which has already substantially reduced energy deficits by removing long hours load shedding. Even CPEC Phase-II will have many energy projects facilitating to achieve the desired goals of industrialization in the country.
On the other hand, the government’s announcement of the groundbreaking of the Mainline-I (ML-I) project by early next year would be another mega project revolutionizing rail transport in the country. Interestingly, it will be built on reduced estimation of US$6.7 billion to make it commercially viable and economically relevant.
The interim Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar’s aspiration to perform the groundbreaking ceremony before the end of his government’s term on February 8 vividly reflects the interim government’s holistic approach to enhance rail transport in the country so that inter and intra connectivity may be further streamlined and strengthened.
According to the Ministry of Planning the said project will be completed in two phases. In the first phase, a 930-kilometre-long rail track will be laid from Karachi to Multan. Also, the railway infrastructure damaged in the 2022 floods will be upgraded as per international standards. In the next phase, a 796km-long rail track will be laid from Multan to Peshawar in line with requirements of the future. In 2017, Pakistan and China signed a five-year framework agreement for construction of the ML-I project. The framework has now been extended for another five years.
In this connection, China’s pledging of 85% of the project cost in the shape of loan clearly demonstrates its strong commitment to assist Pakistan to modernize its crippling rail system to robust poor rail infrastructure and further enhance connectivity. In future the ML-I may be connected with the proposed trilateral trans-regional mega project of railway among Pakistan, Afghanistan and Uzbekistan which would connect South East Asia with Central Asia. Pakistan will arrange the remaining amount.
According to the PC-I of the ML-I project, approved in November 2022, a 1,733 km-long route will be rehabilitated, and along this route, 482 underpasses, 53 flyovers, 130 biker bridges and 130 stations will be constructed. It is a positive development that during PM Kakar’s visit to the BRF 2023, both countries signed an addendum to the ML-I project, a part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC.
For the further strengthening of bilateral cooperation, the newly-appointed Chinese Ambassador Jiang Zaidong outlined a comprehensive strategy comprising consolidation of the current phase of CPEC, deepening cooperation in agriculture and mining and improving people’s livelihoods through small but impactful projects. Thus showcasing the new holistic policy to complete the CPEC Phase-I projects and enhanced cooperation in agriculture and mining would improve food security mechanism between the two countries in the days to come. Moreover, initiation of meaningful small projects to gear up social development would bring positive changes in the lives of local people.
In summary, China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) has evolved into a symbol of modernization and greater connectivity which has already stimulated supplies of environment’s friendly energies in the country. In this regard green energy transformation has become one of the leading sources of immense social upliftment, elimination of poverty, the advancement of small and medium enterprises, rural development and, crucially, generation of new jobs for the locals in the country. Moreover, the approval and expected groundbreaking of mega rail project of ML-I would modernize Pakistan’s Railways infrastructure in the days to come.
The CPEC has become a mega energizing machine in the country which would also be instrumental for its short, medium and long term socio-economic revival and achieving higher growth rates in the days to come.
Critical analysis reveals that Pakistan would benefit from important projects like ML-1 that addresses the transportation network in Pakistan. Unfortunately, Pakistan lacks a high-quality, efficient, and cost-effective supply chain network, and the state of the railway infrastructure further complicates matters. After the completion of ML-1, it is expected that train speeds will double, and the line’s capacity from Peshawar to Karachi and Karachi to Peshawar will increase from 34 to 134 daily trains, providing a substantial boost to the railway.
views expressed are writer’s own.
