Engineering Post Report
China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is a great game changer and speaks louder about time-tested, all weather, higher than Himalaya friendship between the neighbouring countries of China and Pakistan. Its second phase has since been initiated with due emphasis on industrialization, Development of Special Economic Zones, Agriculture modernization, Sciences and Information technology cooperation and socio-economic development.
The overall objective underlying the projects being launched, executed and under implementation in different sectors across Pakistan during ongoing financial year 2023-24 was to reap dividends of the investment made in different sectors projects in the first phase during 2015-20 that has created , quite appreciably and encouragingly, an enabling for investment in other sectors now that existing voids in infrastructure and energy sectors have since been filled.
The 12th Joint Cooperation Committee (JCC) was held in Beijing in the first quarter of financial year 2023-24 at which both sides had identified a number of deliverables .
Following targets for Energy Sector, Transport Infrastructure and Industrial Cooperation were planned and being implemented/executed during the ongoing financial year. Final achievements will only be known at the end of June 2024 as to how much of the targets planned have been achieved.
As regards Energy Sector, 884 MW Sukki-Kinari Hydro Power Plant was under construction and was scheduled to be completed by November 2024 if all goes well as planned. Additionally, physical work on two Hydro Power Projects i.e. 1124 MW Kohala and 700.7 MW Azad Pattan and 300 MW Gwadar Coal Power Project were also expected to be started in the last quarter of outgoing financial year i.e. October-December 2024 .
The “Development Plan of Oil and Gas Sector of Pakistan” has also been launched and subsequently , the plan was being implemented mainly include projects relating to Coal-to-Gasification/Liquid in Thar, North-South Gas Pipeline among others.
In the Transport Infrastructure sector, due to the construction of the Dasu & Basha Dams, the existing Karakoram Highway alignment was to be submerged as such Thakot-Raikot Section of KKH was being realigned.
The Concessional financing Agreement for mega Main Line (ML-1) project was expected to be finalized in the coming months of the outgoing financial year and subsequently, arrangements will be made by both sides China-Pakistan for the ground breaking of the great project under the CPEC framework.
The Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) was also among the sector projects being taken under the CPEC framework. The framework Agreement of KCR was shared with the Chinese side some time back for taking up the project under the overall CPEC framework..
Furthermore, Mirpur-Muzaffarabad-Mansehra, M-9 Motorway and Babusar Tunnel were also on the list of projects likely to be undertaken in order to promote Transport infrastructure in the country.
More details as to what is going to be undertaken and planned under the great game changer CPEC in different sectors in all regions and areas of Pakistan during the just commence new year 2024 may be mentioned on these pages in due course of time, please.
