Inaugurates Matiari-Lahore 600KV transmission line: Says line losses to be limited to 4pc
\n ISLAMABAD
\nPrime Minister Imran Khan has vowed to accelerate pace of work on projects being executed under the umbrella of the multibillion dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project.
\nThe prime minister said this while addressing a ceremony in connection with the inauguration of 886 kilometres long Matiari to Lahore 600KV high-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission line, which has been completed under the CPEC, on Thursday.
\nHe said the operationalisation of the country\u2019s first-ever transmission line of 660 KV will reduce line losses from 17 to four percent, resulting in availability of cheap electricity for consumers. He said the project will prove as a \u201cleading energy transmission artery from the country\u2019s south to north\u201d.
\nThe prime minister said this state-of-the-art transmission line will help reduce power losses. He said more investment will be made in the transmission line projects to ensure uninterrupted power supply to the consumers.
\nThe prime minister pointed out that the breakout of Covid-19 created some hurdles including disruption of supply chains which increased prices of essential commodities. But as the situation is improving, progress will again be visible on the CPEC related projects as well as bringing down the inflation.
\nThe prime minister said the scope of the corridor project is now being expanded from power generation and road infrastructure projects to cooperation in the areas of industries and agriculture. He said that cooperation in these two important sectors will help Pakistan reduce the debt burden through wealth creation.
\nHe regretted that the previous government did not carry out on-ground work on the Matiari-Lahore project signed with China in 2013, which made the public immensely suffer the power load-shedding. The prime minister expressed satisfaction that his government after assumption of power in 2018 carried out the construction work of the state-of-the-art Matiari-Lahore project at full pace and completed it despite the pandemic.
\nBesides energy, he said, other CPEC projects under Chinese President Xi Jinping\u2019s Belt and Road Initiative relating to industrialization and innovation in agriculture would be launched in the next phase. He hoped that completion of CPEC projects would lead to wealth creation and help the government pay off heavy debt.
\nIn his remarks, Minister for Energy Hammad Azhar said the present government started construction work on this landmark project. He said the project is now ready for electricity transmission after a testing phase of six months.
\nHe said other projects under the CPEC will also be completed on time. He expressed the resolve to address the country\u2019s power related issues. He said the CPEC power projects are the important pillars of Pakistan\u2019s economic system and are acting as \u201csmart and efficient sources\u201d of green energy generation.
\nChinese Ambassador to Pakistan Nong Rong said that 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.
\nThe Chinese ambassador said the CPEC up to now has brought investment of $25.4 billion and created 75,000 job opportunities. He said the project has made significant contributions to the socio-economic development of Pakistan. He mentioned that the 886km transmission line would go along 510km of motorways and create around 70,000 jobs in the country. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Inaugurates Matiari-Lahore 600KV transmission line: Says line losses to be limited to 4pc ISLAMABAD Prime Minister Imran Khan has vowed to accelerate pace of work on projects being executed under the umbrella of the multibillion dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project. The prime minister said this while addressing a ceremony in connection with the inauguration […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":218728,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-218718","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-top-news"],"yoast_head":"\n