ISLAMABAD, May 9 (Xinhua) -- Port Qasim coal-fired power plant has not only relieved the energy crisis in Pakistan by generating 10 billion kwh of electricity, but is also attaching equal importance to clean environment by adopting measures to protect the environment.
The Port Qasim power plant is one of the primary power projects started under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to address the energy shortage in Pakistan.
Talking to Chinese media here on the occasion of the first anniversary of the completion of the plant and its generation reaching 10 billion units threshold, Sheng Yuming, chairman of PowerChina Resources Limited, a main stakeholder in the power project, said that environmental protection standards at the plant are better than the local even World Bank standards as the company adopts seawater secondary circulation cooling and seawater desalinization supplement, besides using limestone plaster wet desulphurization.
Ever since the power station started operation, the production and living water of the power station comes from seawater desalination. The accumulated production of desalination water exceeds 2.2 million tons, which has saved precious freshwater resources for the local area, he said.
Sheng said that the company also takes keen interest in corporate social responsibility. In this regard, 100 fresh graduates from Pakistani engineering universities were sent to China for training, and were employed at the power plant when they returned.
The company also gave priority to the employment of local staff and provided 4,000 job opportunities to local people during construction period besides providing long term jobs to 600 local residents.
Located about 37 km southeast of Pakistan's southern port city of Karachi, the 1320MW coal-fired power station project in the Qasim Port Industrial Park has been highly praised by the Pakistani government, and its successful operation is being considered as a benchmark demonstration in CPEC as it made important contributions to the structural adjustment of electricity and energy resources.
The project also contributed to the improvement of people's life and the economic development in Pakistan, and has further interpreted the Belt and Road Initiative, which has been found with an aim of win-win spirit, Sheng noted.
