Pakistan and China have agreed to gear up work on generating 900 megawatts of electricity in Bahawalpur Solar Power Park.
The understanding came during a meeting between Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif and a Chinese delegation on Saturday.
Speaking on the occasion, the chief minister said the solar power park project is part of the China-Pak Economic Corridor (CPEC).
He said the project will be completed by the end of 2016 while 300 megawatts (MW) of electricity will be generated from the power park by the end of this year.
Shahbaz also said the Chinese company will be provided all possible facilities for timely completion of the project as per the best international standards.
In the first phase, at least 0.5 million solar panels will be installed in three blocks over 500 acres of the solar park land.
Earlier, the infrastructure for the park, including a boundary wall, buildings and roads were constructed while water was taken to the site from a nearby canal. The construction work of the first phase of 100MW had been completed earlier in the year.
The second and third units of the solar park comprise 300MW and 600MW, respectively. The work on these two units had been jointly inaugurated by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Chinese President Xi Jinping during the latter’s visit in March.
The second phase is expected to be completed in the beginning of next year followed by work on the third phase.
The chief minister said that CPEC projects are of great importance for removing darkness and bringing light in the country.
“A great beginning has been made under CPEC for removing darkness from the country and the work on first solar project has been started,” he said.
He said that the investment of Rs 140 billion on 900 megawatt solar project under CPEC is purely Chinese investment and a new era of development and prosperity will be ushered in the country due to thorough implementation on CPEC.
He said that the project will be completed with hard work, honesty and trust. He said that the government is taking steps expeditiously for coping with the shortage of energy.
“The energy projects are being forwarded without wasting any time and load shedding in Pakistan will be eliminated to a large extent by 2017-18,” he claimed.
He said that electricity crisis is a burden of one decade and now Pakistan’s brother China has shared this burden. He said that projects being set up with the cooperation of China which will remove darkness and bring light.
Chinese Company Zonergy President Yu Yong has expressed deep interest in the establishment of Solar Institute in Bahawalpur and assured the chief minister that all possible cooperation will be extended for setting up solar institute.