ISLAMABAD – Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday inaugurated Pakistan’s first-ever transmission line of 660 KV High-Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) under the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project.
Addressing at the ceremony, the premier said that the 886-kilometre-long HVDC transmission line with the capacity of 4,400 megawatt, which runs from Matiari to Lahore, will reduce line loses to four percent from 17%.
Reduction in the line losses would result in availability of cheap electricity for consumers but also save billions of ruppes, he said, adding that the project would prove as a “leading energy transmission artery from the country’s south to north”.
He lamented that the previous government failed to expedite work on the Matiari-Lahore project signed with China in 2013, causing massive loadshedding in the country.
He highlighted that the PTI government has expedited work on the transmission line project since coming into power in 2018.
Besides energy, PM Khan said that other CPEC projects under Chinese President Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road Initiative relating to industrialization and innovation in agriculture would be launched in the next phase.
He hoped that CPEC projects would lead to wealth creation and help the government pay off its loans.
The premier further vowed to accelerate pace of work on projects being executed under the umbrella of CPEC project.
In his remarks, Minister for Energy Hammad Azhar said the incumbent government started construction work on Matiari-Lahore transmission project.
He said that project has been operationlised after testing phase of six months. He said other projects under the CPEC will also be completed on time, besides vowing to address the power issues of the country.
Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Nong Rong said that Matiari-Lahore transmission line will realize the safety and reliability of the grid system, optimize energy distribution of the entire country and lower the electricity cost, state broadcaster reported.
He said that the CPEC up to now has brought investment of $25.4 billion and created seventy five thousand job opportunities.
