- China completes $1.7 billion transmission line
- The transmission line is located at the CPEC
- The line is a 660kV direct current line
The Chinese government has completed the $1.7 billion electricity transmission line on the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). The construction, which began in December 2018, was inaugurated in ceremonies in Beijing and Islamabad. The State Grid Corporation of China financed the 878km line. The 660kV Matiari–Lahore high-voltage direct-current line will improve Pakistan’s national grid’s stability and improve the country’s transmission and distribution grid infrastructures.
Minister of Energy, Pakistan, Hammad Azhar, said the project would “…enhance transmission capability and bring relief to consumers”. Zhang Jianhua, head of China’s National Energy Administration, said that the project would provide a “solid assurance” for power transmission.
In recent years, electricity generation in Pakistan has increased dramatically thanks to the large-scale construction of mainly coal-fired plants funded by China.