Prime Minister Imran Khan admitted on Thursday that the pace of work on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects had slowed down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But he vowed to accelerate the pace of work on projects.
Addressing the inauguration ceremony of the new 886 kilometer-long 600 KV transmission line from Matiari in Sindh to Lahore, the premier said that the transmission line is a state-of-the-art project.
The project has been completed under CPEC.
He said that the transmission lines are old and power losses are high. The increase in line losses puts burden on the people.
He expressed the hope that the new project will save electricity.
There are 17 percent line losses on old transmission lines. Through this project, he shared, line losses will fall to 4 percent.
Prime Minister Imran pointed out that the breakout of coronavirus created hurdles, including the disruption of supply chains, which increased prices of essential commodities.
As the situation is improving, he said progress will again be visible on CPEC-related projects as well as bringing down inflation.
Vaccination, however, is helping decrease the fear of coronavirus, he added.
HAMMAD AZHAR: In his address, Minister for Energy Hammad Azhar said the present government started construction work on the landmark project.
He said the project is now ready for electricity transmission after a testing phase of six months.
Other projects under CPEC will also be completed on time, he said and expressed the resolve to address the country’s power related issues.
CHINESE ENVOY: Nong Rong said the Matiari-Lahore transmission line will realise the safety and reliability of the grid system, optimise energy distribution of the entire country and lower the electricity cost.
He said till now CPEC has brought investment of $25.4 billion and created 75,000 job opportunities. The project has made significant contribution to the socio-economic development of Pakistan, he concluded.
