CPEC: Chinese China Gezhouba Group to complete Azad Pattan Hydropower Project in 2026

Islamabad: Chinese state-owned China Gezhouba Group will complete Azad Pattan Hydropower Project, having capacity to annually generate 3064 Gigawatt hours (GWh), in 2026 under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), Pakistani Ministry of Water Resources said.

The project’s US $ 1.5 billion investment agreement was signed between Chinese state-owned China Gezhouba Group and Pakistan in July 2020.

Ministry of Water Resources mentioned that that Azad Pattan Hydropower Project will generate cheap and environment friendly power.

The 700 Megawatt (MW) project is located on Jhelum River roughly 7 km upstream of Azad Pattan Bridge in the Sudhanoti District, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan and 90 km from Islamabad, the capital city of Pakistan. The height of run of the river dam is 90 metres (295 feet).

The 700MW hydropower project is part of the CPEC and once completed, it will help the region generate clean energy without relying on expensive fuel powered plants.

The Azad Pattan project is part of the Policy for Power Generation Projects 2002 and will be implemented by the Private Power and Infrastructure Board (PPIB) on a build, own, operate and transfer (BOOT) basis for a period of 30 years. After this time, the project will be handed over to the Government of Azad Jammu and Kashmir free of cost.

The project is being financed by a consortium of lenders which includes China Development Bank, China Construction Bank, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China and Bank of China.