The Prime Minister said he had discussed the project with Chinese investors and asked Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif to initiate coal-fired power projects in Punjab. "It is the result of hard work and seriousness of the government that the stone of the project was laid in a short span of two months after conceiving the idea," he added. He hoped the project would be completed in 24 months, instead of stipulated period of 30 months.
A Chinese consortium of Huaneng Shandong and Shandong Ruyi Group has invested in the Sahiwal project, spanning over 1,000 acres of land. The projects will be built in two phases. The Prime Minister thanked the people of China and their government for initiating the Pak-China Economic Corridor under which several development projects would be launched in due course of time.
The project is one of the projects in the Sino-Pak Economic Corridor Programme and it would be Pakistan's largest coal-fired power plant which would be completed by November 2016. The Prime Minister said the country was facing an acute energy crisis, which the PML-N government had inherited from previous governments, adding, "We are committed to resolving the problem effectively and at the earliest."
He said the project was a reward for the people of Sahiwal as they had given a heavy mandate to the PML-N in the general election 2013. After laying the foundation stone of the Port Qasim Coal Power Project, he said, the Sahiwal project was the third in a row of coal power projects to be set up under the Sino-Pak Economic Corridor Programme.
The Nandipur Power Project would start power generation formally on Saturday (May 31), he added. The Prime Minister said the Sino-Pak Economic Corridor Programme would be a game-changer for both Pakistan and China. He elaborated that under the Corridor Programme, a 2700-Km long highway from Kashghar to Gwadar would be built with industrial zones on its either sides as well as construction of a modern airport at Gwadar, Pakistan Railways upgradation, and Lahore-Karachi Motorway for which the government would allocate Rs 55 billion for land accusition in the upcoming budget.
The Corridor Programme, he added, also incorporated coal-fired power projects including 10 projects at Gaddani, six in the Punjab including Sahiwal, 10 at Thar and two each at Jamshoro and Port Qasim. The Prime Minister said the Bhasha and Dasu dams would produce 4500 MW each, asserting that he had directed quarters concerned for early completion of the 969MW Neelam-Jehlam Hydropower Project.
Nawaz Sharif said that over the last 65 years, the country managed to instal 23,000 MW generation capacity which had reduced to 13,000 MW operational capacity. However, the PML-N government was committed to producing an additional 22,000 MW over the next eight to nine years, he added. He said that Pakistan's economic indicators were good, promising and assuring, which was a good sign for the economy.
The Prime Minister said it was his dream to transform Gwadar into an economic hub like Dubai, Hong Kong and Singapore. In his address, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif said that following the vision of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, the PML-N was fulfilling the promises made with the masses that it made during its election campaign.
Shahbaz said that China had always stood by Pakistan in every time of difficulty. He said Chinese economic co-operation and huge investment by installing eneryg and other projects in Pakistan, especially in Punjab, would prove to be a milestone in development and prosperity in the region. Chinese dignitaries in their address expressed the resolve to continue co-operation through joint ventures with Pakistan.
The Ruyi Group Chairman said the consortium would complete the Sahiwal project with full dedication. "It is our passion to invest in Pakistan that is a land of opportunities due to its excellent strategic and geographic position," he added. The Huaneng Shandong General Manager said the Sahiwal coal-fired power project would not only usher in a new era of development and properity in Pakistan but also further cement Sino-Pak friendship. Federal Minister for Water and Power Khawaja Asif and Chinese Embassy's economic consular were also present.