The first unit of the Chinese-built Suki Kinari Hydropower project in northwest Pakistan was connected to the power grid on Aug. 12, Xinhua reported, meaning the project, which was among the first under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) framework, has taken the most critical step toward full commercial operation.
Global Times reports: “The launch of the landmark project, which is the largest overseas greenfield hydropower investment project by a Chinese enterprise, will further alleviate Pakistan’s chronic electricity shortages, while injecting new impetus into the sustainable development of the regional economy, experts said. Construction of the project, funded and developed by Energy China, started in January 2017 with a total investment of about $1.962 billion. The power station features four impulse turbine units, with a total installed capacity of 884 MW and a total reservoir volume of 13.45 million cubic meters, according to Energy China. As a flagship project of the CPEC, the Suki Kinari Hydropower project boasts the largest impulse water turbine generator units and the deepest pressure shaft group in the world, meaning that it involved high construction standards.”
