CPEC: Chinese envoy welcomes water usage agreement

Islamabad: Ambassador of China to Pakistan Nong Rong has welcomed the signing of implementation and water usage agreement for 1124 MW Kohala Hydro power project under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

The envoy said the project that was being executed under the CPEC and the agreement was signed between the Azad Jammu and Kashmir government and China’s Three Gorges Company.

“Its total investment is 2.4 bn USD and its average annual power generation will be 5.149 bn kWh”, he tweeted.

Last month, the agreement was inked regarding the implantation of water uses of the upcoming CPEC-sponsored Kohala Hydropower project being construction over Jhelum river passing through AJK’s capital district of Muzaffarabad. The project will produce 1,124 megawatt electricity costing US $ 2.4 billion.

AJK Secretary Electricity Zafar Mehmood and chief executive officer of Chinese Three Gorges Company signed the agreement. AJK Prime Minister Raja Farooq Haider Khan and Federal Minister Hamad Azhar were also present on this occasion.

Kohala Hydropower Project, being built on Jhelum River in Azad Jammu Kashmir under CPEC, was awarded to the Kohala Hydropower Company Ltd (KHCL), which is a subsidiary of China’s Three Gorges Corporation (CTGC).

The project will produce 1,124 megawatt electricity costing US $2.4 billion. The Project will create eight thousand jobs of youth for the local people of Azad Kashmir .

The Azad Jammu Kashmir government will receive about 2.5 billion rupees annually in the shape of water use charges and the project will be handed over to the Azad Kashmir government after thirty year.

AJK Prime Minister Raja Farooq Haider Khan said that Kashmiri people had always given tremendous sacrifices for the prosperity of the people of Pakistan and played a leading role to overcome energy crisis in the country. He said Kohala , Neelum Hydro power projects and Mangla uprising projects were the glaring examples in that regard.

The PM underlined the need for starting work on Mansehra –Muzaffarabad and Mirpur Mangla project under CEPC which were agreed by the previous government but the present regime had not given priority to this project.

Haider expressed the hope that the work on this project would be started soon and environmental issues would also be addressed positively by the government of Pakistan.

Federal Minister for Energy Hamad Azhar assured that the agreement reached with the AJK government would be fully implemented.

He added that the AJK government would receive billions of rupees on account of water used annually besides securing tremendous financial support from the government of Pakistan.