ISLAMABAD: The Federal Minister for Planning Development & Special Initiatives, Professor Ahsan Iqbal on Wednesday, urged the China Overseas Ports Holding Company Ltd (COPHCL) to meet the exact electricity demand needed for the Gwadar Free Zone and share its 10-year plan for electricity required by the company for the 300 MW coal-fired power project.

Ahsan made these remarks while chairing a meeting to review the progress vis a vis the fired power project earlier in the day. The meeting was attended by the Chairman COPHCL, Chairman Gwadar Port Authority GPA and other relevant stakeholders. The project was launched for catering to the needs of around 150,000 local people by the end of 2023.

The project is aimed at improving the reliability of the local power supply and would gradually help solve the crisis in the current economic development and urban construction in the Gwadar region, which is being restricted by the acute shortage of power.

“The government is committed to providing electricity for the Gwadar Free Zone; however, COPHECL should reveal the exact demand for electricity to avoid any capacity issues in the future, said the planning minister, while chairing the meeting.

It is only a matter of time before all major projects under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor CPEC in Gwadar, including the Gwadar Power Plant, the New Gwadar International Airport Project, the China-Pak Friendship Hospital, China-Pak Technical and Vocational Institute, the Gwadar East-Bay Expressway Project, Gwadar Free Zone and the Gwadar Port would become a shining pearl in the region.

The minister stressed that the government is already working on two transmission lines from Iran that would boost the demand for electricity.

“If the demands are less then it would have a negative impact, as the country is already facing an energy crisis therefore, the exact requirement of electricity is essential to aptly pursue the project.

Ahsan reiterated once again, that the incumbent government has revived all CPEC projects since it came into power in April this year, as the previous government had abruptly stopped it. Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif has already assured his Chinese counterpart that the CPEC is the top priority of the government and the recent Joint Cooperation Committee, is one of the examples in which both sides have agreed to revive several development projects.