ISLAMABAD: A five-member Chinese delegation led by Bao Zhiping visited Islamabad for consultation with Capital Development Authority (CDA) in order to start construction of first ever garbage fueled power plant in Islamabad on Wednesday.
It may be mentioned here that in the next two days, the Chinese delegation is scheduled to meet Chief Secretary Lahore and then Karachi administration for the same purpose.
Capital Development Authority (CDA) hosted the delegation for three days for holding deliberations and consultation with visiting delegation. The last meeting with the delegation was held on the evening of Wednesday.
The proposed and under consideration power plant will be a gift by the Chinese government to people of Islamabad. The under consideration power plant will have the capacity to treat 1,500 tons of garbage per day capable of generating around 20MW electricity.
On the first day of their visit to CDA at its headquarters, in a meeting chaired by CDA’s Member Planning & Design Asad Mehboob Kiyani, extensive deliberations were held between the visiting delegation and concerned officers of CDA regarding modalities, including site feasibility and impacts, of the power plant.
Consequently, on the second day, the visiting delegation along with concerned CDA officers visited different proposed sites for construction of under consideration power plant. The visiting delegation visited I-9 sewerage treatment plant, I-12 garbage dumping site, and I-17.
The Chinese delegation, after consulting CDA officers and visiting sites, showed their intentions to select I-17 as the site for construction of the proposed power plant. The visiting delegation also expressed their interest in treating and cleaning I-12 dumping site after completion of a proposed power plant in sector I-17.
The Chinese delegation further expressed their interest in complementing the capacity and efficiency of I-9 sewerage treatment plant in cooperation with local authorities as part of the project.
The three-day deliberations between the visiting delegation and CDA officers concluded with an agreement to work together as a working group in close liaison for giving the project a concrete shape at the earliest. The visiting delegation told that the visit to Islamabad had been very fruitful for information and initial assessment of the proposed project.
Feasibility report of the project will be prepared in China after the conclusion of the visit. The Chinese professionals will remain in touch with CDA officers for getting information whenever required for the proposed power project in Islamabad.
Islamabad Mayor and CDA Chairman Sheikh Anser Aziz, during the meeting, said, “It is a pleasure to work with our Chinese brothers for uplift projects in Islamabad. The sincerity and commitment of China [to contribute] to progress and prosperity in Pakistan are impressive. We will further expand our area of cooperation and consultations with the Chinese in the best interest of the two countries.”
The visiting Chinese delegation invited the CDA counterparts to visit China to benefit from the expertise of Chinese professionals.
