MEGA Engineering in the World by China

[JSCh]

Chinese firm begins construction on panama port
CNC
Added On June 10, 2017

Work has began on the construction of container terminal on Margarita Island in the Panama Container Port.

At a cost of 1.1 billion dollars, the project is China's biggest investment in Panama.

The permanent representative of the Chinese-Panamanian Trade Development Office stressed the importance of the venture.

She said the project will help boost trade cooperation and development in Panama, as well as creating more jobs.

During the ceremony， Panamanian President Juan Carlos Varela said the project was a reflection of "how Panama offers its platform to support foreign investment with transparency."

When completed, the port will have three docks offering additional capacity for trade.

The project comes about a year after an upgrade to the Panama Canal, allowing larger ships to pass through.


http://en.cncnews.cn/news/v_show/65320_Chinese_firm_begins_construction_on_panama_port_.shtml

News from last year,

China's Landbridge Group acquires Panama's largest port
(People's Daily Online) 14:10, May 25, 2016

Following a successful deal with Australia on a 99-year lease of Darwin's commercial port, China's Landbridge Group acquired Panama's largest port, Margarita Island, on May 12. The company plans to build a modern and efficient deep-water port, which will play an active role in coordinated development between the harbors along the One Belt, One Road path.

Located by the Atlantic entrance to the Panama Canal, the Margarita Island port is in the western hemisphere's largest free trade zone—Colon Free Trade Zone, which boasts sea, railway, land and air transportation, and is one of the world's most important goods distribution centers.

Landbridge Group plans to construct a modern and efficient deep-water port with four container berths and an annual capacity of 300 million TEUs.

After the expansion of the Panama Canal, a new generation of larger container ships will be able to pass through, which will effectively reduce transport distance, time and costs.

The expansion will also facilitate the trade of bulk commodities between South American and Asian countries, improve the efficiency of trade and transport between China and the eastern United States, and promote more cross-border trade overall.

China's Landbridge Group acquires Panama's largest port - People's Daily Online

 

[JSCh]

Africa’s first garbage power plant to adopt Chinese standards, equipment
(People's Daily Online) 16:14, June 19, 2017

An open dump on the outskirts of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia will be turned into Africa’s first garbage power plant, providing local residents with clean energy. The power plant will adopt Chinese technologies and equipment, serving as an example for the continent’s resource regeneration and garbage disposal.

The 36-hectare Reppi Sanitary Landfill, also known as "koshe" (dirt) in Amharic, has been Ethiopia’s biggest rubbish site for over half a century, with millions of tons of garbage from Addis Ababa dumped there. The landfill has severely damaged its surrounding environment, polluting ground water and causing a waste landslide in March that claimed the lives of at least 115 people.

In an effort to tackle the severe environmental problems caused by waste, the Ethiopian government has invested $100 million in building a garbage power plant, which will be constructed by the Chinese National Engineering Corporation (CNEC) and will burn garbage that cannot be recycled to generate electricity. The project was launched in 2014 and is expected to be put into use in September of this year.

According to the People’s Daily, rubbish will first be put into a sealed space to ferment. After fermentation, the waste will be burned, producing vapors to generate electricity. The pollutants in the rubbish will be carefully disposed of, while the smog produced in the process will be discharged according to European emissions standards. The burned waste will shrink by 80 percent in size and can either be buried or used as construction materials.

“The construction of the garbage power plant is [an instance of] environmental protection cooperation between the Chinese and Ethiopian governments. It can dispose of 1,280 tons of household garbage daily, and all rubbish will be burned inside the power plant without producing pollutants, simultaneously generating clean electricity,” He Yaoguo, vice director of CNEC, told the People’s Daily.

According to He, China has built over 200 garbage power plants in the past decade. The Ethiopian government and Ethiopian companies recognize China’s experience and technologies in the field, which is why the new power plant will adopt Chinese standards, technologies and equipment.

 

[JSCh]

China's largest power project in Russia put into operation
Source: Xinhua | 2017-06-21 04:29:21 | Editor: huaxia

An employee works at the Huadian power plant in Yaroslavskaya Oblast, Russia, June 20, 2017. (Xinhua/Evgeny Sinitsyn)

YAROSLAVL, Russia, June 20 (Xinhua) -- A 483-MW gas-steam combined heat and power (CHP) plant built by a China-Russia joint venture has been officially brought online, China's Huadian Corporation announced here Tuesday.

The CHP is the tangible result of the Huadian-Teninskaya joint project, which was launched by China Huadian Hong Kong Co., Ltd. and Russia's second regional power company TGC-2 in 2011, with a total investment of 571 million U.S. dollars.

As China's largest electricity project in Russia, the project was designed to generate 3.02 billion KWH of electric energy and 814,000 Giga of heating supply annually.

"The completion of the Huadian-Teninskaya project is of great significance to the Yaroslavl Province. It will improve the living quality of local citizens," acting governor of the Yaroslavl Province Dmitry Mironov said during the operating ceremony held on the project site.

Listed as a priority project in 2014 by Yaroslavl authorities, the new CHP plant is expected to tackle the province's chronic problem of power shortages. According to TGC staff, the operation of the Huadian-Teninskaya project will bring down Yaroslavl's power deficit from 40-50 percent to 5-15 percent and fully cover its total power demand in warmer months.

The project is widely seen as a symbol of further deepening of cooperation between China and Russia in the field of electric power.

According to General manager of the China Huadian Corporation Wen Shugang, China Huadian Corporation will devote more efforts in exploring global energy markets in the future, including Russia.

Recent years have witnessed continuous achievements in energy cooperation between China and Russia under the strategic guidance of the two countries' top leaders.

Russian Deputy Energy Minister Kirill Molodtsov said on the ceremony that the Russian government welcomes the entrance of Chinese companies including Huadian into its local markets, and it will create more favorable conditions to facilitate energy cooperation between the two countries in the future.

 

[JSCh]

Chinese-invested steel factory launched in eastern Tanzania
Source: Xinhua| 2017-06-22 03:36:43|Editor: yan



ARUSHA, Tanzania, June 21 (Xinhua) -- Tanzanian President John Magufuli on Wednesday launched the Chinese-invested steel factory Kiluwa Steel Group, located in the eastern district of Kibaha.

Speaking at its official launch, President Magufuli commended the Chinese investors for choosing Tanzania as their investment destination in the east African region, calling other foreign investors to follow suit.

He described the new Chinese investment as important as it is part and parcel of the government-driven industrialization agenda.

Magufuli said: "This is an important project for Tanzania as it produces quality iron bars that meet the international standard as they are used in any bridge across the globe."

He discouraged the tendency of importing raw materials from other countries when in Tanzania there is a big deposit of iron ore in Mchuchuma area of the southern part of the country.

"I am aware of the challenge with our iron ore, as it is mixed with titanium and vanadium so the iron is combined with the two elements. These two elements have value than iron ore, I urge Tanzanian experts to find ways of separating the elements so that we get pure iron ore which is fit for iron bar production. This will also reduce the cost of importing to our investors," Magufuli suggested.

The Kiluwa Steel Group located in Mlandizi area of Kibaha District in Coast Region has the capacity of producing 300,000 tonnes iron bars per year in the first phase.

In the second phase, the plant will produce an average of 1,200,000 tonnes of iron bars per year.

Chinese Ambassador to Tanzania Lu Youqing congratulated the factory's launching, saying it will contribute to China-Tanzania cooperation.

The factory is linked with 3.5-km railway line from Tanzania Railway Ltd., at an advantageous point for the transport of raw materials and final products to the market.

 

[JSCh]

Chinese enterprises sign agreement to build 6,000 km South Atlantic submarine cable
By Li Yan (People's Daily Online) 16:35, June 28, 2017

On June 27, China United Network Communications (China Unicom) signed an agreement with Cameroon Telecommunications and Huawei Marine Networks to establish the South Atlantic Inter Link, or SAIL.

The SAIL cable network will span 6,000 kilometers to link the continents of Africa and America. The submarine cable project is designed to possess the largest data transmission capacity between the two continents, as well as provide high-quality and reliable intercontinental telecom services.

It is the first project in which a Chinese telecommunication operator and equipment manufacturer will work together on international industrial capacity cooperation and expand overseas, said Li Chong, general manager of the International Business Department of China United Network Communications, one of the top three operators.

According to the agreement, China Unicom will be responsible for the construction, as well as the operation and maintenance of the cable network, while Huawei Marine will offer systematic solutions.

The project is seen as an important step in developing Cameroon’s digital economy. The signing of the agreement means the SAIL project has entered the implementation phase.

 

[Shotgunner51]

Chinese enterprises sign agreement to build 6,000 km South Atlantic submarine cable
By Li Yan (People's Daily Online) 16:35, June 28, 2017

On June 27, China United Network Communications (China Unicom) signed an agreement with Cameroon Telecommunications and Huawei Marine Networks to establish the South Atlantic Inter Link, or SAIL.

The SAIL cable network will span 6,000 kilometers to link the continents of Africa and America. The submarine cable project is designed to possess the largest data transmission capacity between the two continents, as well as provide high-quality and reliable intercontinental telecom services.

It is the first project in which a Chinese telecommunication operator and equipment manufacturer will work together on international industrial capacity cooperation and expand overseas, said Li Chong, general manager of the International Business Department of China United Network Communications, one of the top three operators.

According to the agreement, China Unicom will be responsible for the construction, as well as the operation and maintenance of the cable network, while Huawei Marine will offer systematic solutions.

The project is seen as an important step in developing Cameroon’s digital economy. The signing of the agreement means the SAIL project has entered the implementation phase.

Good news! Global submarine fiber cable market is massive, Huawei Marine is a top league player, see this report:

Submarine Fiber Cable market 2017-Fujitsu, Huawei Marine Networks, NEC, Nexans
http://www.openpr.com/news/578810/S...ujitsu-Huawei-Marine-Networks-NEC-Nexans.html​

 

[cirr]

Cutting-edge cable system starts operations

2017-06-29 10:55

China Daily Editor: Feng Shuang

A 25,000-kilometer submarine cable system linking Asia, Africa and Europe has entered service, as China United Network Communications Group, a key participant in the cable project, accelerates steps to build internet infrastructure for countries and regions related to the Belt and Road Initiative.

The Asia-Africa-Europe-1 cable system, better known as AAE-1, has been officially launched, with services commencing from Europe to the Far East, said the AAE-1 consortium, which coordinates efforts to complete the project. China Unicom is a key member of the alliance.

The AAE-1 is the world's largest submarine cable system built in more than a decade.

It can provide the lowest latency express internet route among dozens of countries and regions across Asia and Europe, China Unicom said in a statement. It did not disclose the specific investment in this project.

The cable system connects Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, India, Pakistan, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Greece, Italy and France.

The section for China's Hong Kong, Cambodia, Myanmar and Yemen is expected to be put into use in October, China Unicom said.

The AAE-1 project was initiated by China Unicom, the country's second-largest telecom carrier by subscribers, in 2012. With a minimum design capacity of 40 terabytes per second, it is designed initially with 100 gigabit per second transmission technology and is upgradable to future technology to meet new bandwidth demands.

China Unicom said with AAE-1, it will become the only operator in China to have two submarine cable systems to connect Asia, Africa and Europe.

The move is part of the company's broad efforts to build international submarine cable infrastructure. The State-owned company said it has built more than 30 submarine cables.

On Tuesday, China Unicom signed an agreement with Cameroon Telecommunications and Huawei Marine Networks to establish the South Atlantic Inter Link, or SAIL.

Under the agreement, China Unicom will be responsible for the construction, as well as the operation and maintenance of the cable network, while Huawei Marine will offer systematic solutions. The signing of the agreement means the SAIL project has entered the implementation phase.

Spanning about 6,000 kilometers, the SAIL cable network will link Kribi in Cameroon with Fortaleza in Brazil. The submarine cable project is designed to possess the largest data transmission capacity between Africa and South America, as well as provide high-quality and reliable intercontinental telecom services.

Fu Liang, an independent telecom expert, said most international data are transmitted by wires at the bottom of the ocean called submarine communications cables. China Unicom's drive in this direction will significantly boost digital connectivity across different continents.

http://www.ecns.cn/2017/06-29/263421.shtml

 

[JSCh]

Chinese-built dam in Cote d'Ivoire officially starts power generation
Source: Xinhua| 2017-06-30 22:52:56|Editor: Mu Xuequan



ABIDJAN, June 30 (Xinhua) -- A ceremony was held Friday in Cote d'Ivoire to officially mark the initiation of electricity generation at Soubre hydroelectric power station, which was built by a Chinese company.

Launched in February 2013, the project started generating electricity on May 25, about eight months ahead of schedule, according to the constructor Sinohydro Corporation Limited, which is under PowerChina.

With an installed capacity of 275 MW, the 4.5-km-long Soubre dam is the largest of its kind by far in the western African country.

The cost of the project is about 572 million U.S. dollars, of which 85 percent percent is financed by China and 15 percent by Cote d'Ivoire.

Amadou Gon Coulibaly (L, Front), Prime Minister of Cote d'Ivoire, visits the Soubre hydroelectric power station, accompanied by Chinese Ambassador to Cote d'lvoire Tang Weibin (R, Front), near the city of Soubre in Cote d'Ivoire, on June 30, 2017. A ceremony was held Friday in Cote d'Ivoire to officially mark the initiation of electricity generation at Soubre hydroelectric power station, which was built by a Chinese company. With an installed capacity of 275 MW, the 4.5-km-long Soubre dam is the largest of its kind so far in the western African country. (Xinhua/Pan Siwei)

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Photo taken on May 19, 2017 shows the Soubre hydroelectric power station near the city of Soubre in Cote d'Ivoire. A ceremony was held on June 30 in Cote d'Ivoire to officially mark the initiation of electricity generation at Soubre hydroelectric power station, which was built by a Chinese company. With an installed capacity of 275 MW, the 4.5-km-long Soubre dam is the largest of its kind so far in the western African country. (Xinhua)

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Photo taken on June 1, 2017 shows the Soubre hydroelectric power station near the city of Soubre in Cote d'Ivoire. A ceremony was held on June 30 in Cote d'Ivoire to officially mark the initiation of electricity generation at Soubre hydroelectric power station, which was built by a Chinese company. With an installed capacity of 275 MW, the 4.5-km-long Soubre dam is the largest of its kind so far in the western African country. (Xinhua)

 

[JSCh]

HK architects unveil ‘City of Pearl’ project for Manila
By BEN KRITZ, TMT on June 7, 2017

HONG KONG-based architectural firm hpa unveiled a major reclamation and development project for Manila, promising “a self-sustainable, revolutionary and eco-nouveau city in the capital of the Philippines.”

Presenting the project to President Rodrigo Duterte and Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada on May 23, hpa said the “New Manila Bay-City of Pearl” is the architectural firm’s largest and most innovative project to date, and would be the biggest “Belt and Road” project between the Philippines and China.

“New Manila Bay–City of Pearl, as the first Asian smart city to be in development stages, will capture the essence of the Belt and Road initiative by further advancing business and economic development between China, Hong Kong and Southeast Asia,” said Nicholas Ho, Deputy Managing Director of hpa. “We believe in the ability to enhance our future in accordance with cutting edge technology, and with our team of talented architects and designers, we are able to create, from ground zero to completion, a city that will, in essence, run itself.”

The New Manila Bay-City of Pearl will be a 407-hectare city and new integrated central business district, connected by a loop road network, with an advanced driverless railway system running throughout. The inner ring would feature an extensive central park and golf course, while the outer ring will provide views of Manila Bay.

The proposed new city would be built where the present-day Baseco Compound is between Manila South Port and the mouth of the Pasig River, with an additional island of reclaimed land built to extend the development farther out into Manila Bay.

Water taxis would connect the two islands to other districts in the capital, “guaranteeing a walkable city with travel time no longer than 20 minutes,” hpa said. Renewable energy (solar and tidal power) will also be utilized to ensure renewable energy production and consumption. A state-of-the-art sports stadium, a waterfront promenade, as well as residential and commercial areas will present over 50,000 job opportunities for the community, it added.

“The company’s Research and Development team is dedicated to exploring the latest global trends in architectural design, sustainability, computer technology, and construction materials, in addition to property developments and economic and social matters related to building design. Falling under the company philosophy: ‘Design for People’, hpa projects are not limited to corporates or government institutions, but specifically and more importantly for the community,” the company said in a statement.

“It is this ‘human’ approach that underscores ‘who we design for’, based on the belief that what we create through original and revolutionary designs will ultimately set the foundation for a better future; designs that will meet the needs of future markets which represent the world we live in, our culture and lives,” added Ho.

The architectural firm, which has been providing planning and design services in Asia and the Middle East since 1980, said that both President Duterte and Manila Mayor Estrada supported the New Manila Bay-City of Pearl concept.

HK architects unveil ‘City of Pearl’ project for Manila - The Manila Times Online

Aerial perspective of the 407-hectare New Manila Bay – City of Pearl project.

​

 

[JSCh]

Chinese company contracted to build Pakistan’s largest airport
By Shan Xin (People's Daily Online) 15:23, July 11, 2017

(Allama Iqbal International Airport)​

China Construction Third Engineering Bureau won a 41-billion ruble (about 2.6 billion RMB) contract to engineer, procure, and construct the Allama Iqbal International Airport.

It will be Pakistan’s largest airport after reconstruction, and local infrastructure will be improved too. It is the largest project that the Third Engineering Bureau has undertaken overseas, marking another important achievement in Belt and Road construction.

It is not the first time that the Third Engineering Bureau has won a bid in Pakistan. Major projects, including the Karachi-Lahore Expressway between Sukker and Multan, Arfa Software Technology Park, and The Centaurus Hotel, are all projects of the Bureau.

 

[JSCh]

Lao-Chinese joint venture building Laos' 1st oil refinery
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-03 14:41:35|Editor: Yang Yi



VIENTIANE, Aug. 3 (Xinhua) -- The construction of Laos' first ever oil refinery in the Saysettha Comprehensive Development Zone of capital Vientiane is expected to be completed in mid-next year.

The refinery is expected to have an annual production capacity of 800,000 tons of oil, the Lao News Agency (KPL) reported on Thursday.

The refinery construction project began in 2014 as an investment of the Lao-China Dongyan Petrochemical Co., Ltd (LCPC), a joint venture between China's Yunnan Dongyan Industrial, which holds 75 percent of its shares, the Lao State Fuel Company 20 percent and the Lao-China Joint Investment 5 percent.

Once operational, the refinery will become among the nation's largest industrial enterprises and be able to supply about 60 percent of fuel in Laos.

As of now, the project has been 40 percent completed, according to Deputy Director of the Lao State Fuel Company Phaiboun Phomphaphithuk, KPL reported.

Sitting on over 218,677 square meters and worth 179 million U.S. dollars, the oil refinery project involves the construction of three buildings, 16 oil tanks which have a total storage capacity of 80 million liters.

Laos imported 1.3 million liters of oil annually, according to Phaiboun.

 

[JSCh]

Sino-Russian gas trade set for boom time
By Xie Jun Source:Global Times Published: 2017/8/4 23:03:39

Construction of joint venture Amur processing plant kicks off
Experts told the Global Times Friday that with China's plan to increase usage of natural gas as well as Russia's geographical advantages, the two countries' natural gas trade will continue to boom in the coming years.

The Amur natural gas processing plant project, a joint venture of the Hubei-based China Gezhouba Group Corporation and the Russian gas industrial giant Gazprom, started construction on Thursday.

Located in Amurskaya Oblast of Russia and about 200 kilometers from the Heihe River in Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, the plant is the source of the east line of the China-Russia Natural Gas Pipeline, according to a statement posted on the official website of China Gezhouba Group Corporation.

Once completed, the plant will have a natural gas processing capacity of 42 billion cubic meters and annual helium production capacity of 6 million cubic meters, which will make it the largest natural gas processing plant in Russia and one of the largest in the world, the statement said.

China and Russia have been beefing up efforts to increase the natural gas trade with natural gas supply agreements and infrastructure construction.

An agreement was signed in 2014 by Gazprom and the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) that 38 billion cubic meters of gas would be shipped to China through the east line every year for a 30-year period starting from 2018. Total investment in the east line, which is still under construction, amounts to some $400 billion.

The two countries have also talked about building a west line of the China-Russia Natural Gas Pipeline, though the process is not as smooth as the east line, according to domestic media reports.

If the two lines are both completed as planned, Russia will become the biggest natural gas exporter for China, Lin Boqiang, dean of the China Institute for Studies in Energy Policy at Xiamen University, told the Global Times Friday.

According to Lin, the growing cooperation results from the fact that China's demands for natural gas are increasing, but the country's resources are running low.

The Chinese government has set a goal that consumption of natural gas should account for up to 10 percent of entire energy consumption by the end of 2020. "This means that natural gas supply should increase by at least 15 percent year-on-year in the next few years," Lin said.

According to Lin, the fact that Russia borders China is also an advantage for the two countries' gas cooperation.

"At least trade wouldn't be affected by political relations between Russia and other countries," he said.

Apart from natural gas, the two countries have also built two oil pipelines under the China-Russia crude oil pipeline project.

"This is a golden era for the two countries' energy cooperation, as China is thirsty for overseas energy, while Russia is anxious to sell its resources in exchange for money to boost its sluggish economy," he said.

But he noted that China should work to enter the upstream sections of Russia's energy industry, such as building joint ventures with Russian companies to dig for natural gas or oil, though obstacles might remain as Russia is quite protective about its energy resources.

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Let’s do it! – Putin gives the green light to construction of Russia’s largest gas plant [SUBS]
Russia Insider
Published on Aug 4, 2017

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During his trip to Amur Region, the President inspected the Amur Gas Processing Plant construction site and gave the command to start pouring concrete for the foundation.
The head of state was shown scale models of the Power of Siberia gas pipeline and the Amur Gas Processing Plant. Chairman of Gazprom Management Board, Alexei Miller, told Vladimir Putin about the deadlines and construction stages for the new plant and gas pipeline.

The Amur Gas Processing Plant, now under construction 15 kilometres from the town of Svobodny on the banks of the Zeya River, will be the largest Russian gas refinery and a major facility worldwide. It will play an important part in the technological chain of future natural gas deliveries to China via the Power of Siberia pipeline. The project will promote socioeconomic and industrial development in the Amur and other Far Eastern regions.

Construction has been progressing since October 2015; site preparation is currently being completed, and road, railway and river infrastructure are also being built. In addition, preparations are underway to build a residential area for about 3,000 employees.

While visiting the plant, Vladimir Putin took part in a videoconference and heard reports from Gazprom Dobycha Noyabrsk Director General Igor Krutikov from the Chayandinskoye oil, gas and condensate field in Yakutia that will ship gas to the Amur plant, and by Gazprom Transgaz Tomsk Director General Anatoly Titov, from a section of the Power of Siberia gas pipeline.

 

[JSCh]

Chinese firm contracted to build massive hydropower plant in Angola
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-05 02:23:13|Editor: Yang Yi

Cui Aimin, Chinese Ambassador to Angola (2nd L) views the sand table of the Caculo Cabaca Hydropower Project in Dondo, Angola on Aug. 4, 2017. Angolan President Jose Eduardo dos Santos officially inaugurated the construction of the Caculo Cabaca Hydropower Project in Dondo, Angola on Friday. Located at the North Kwanza province, the hydropower project will be constructed by China Gezhouba Group Co., Ltd (CGGC). (Xinhua/Xu Kunpeng)

DONDO, Angola, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- Angolan President Jose Eduardo dos Santos officially inaugurated the construction of the Caculo Cabaca Hydropower Project in Dondo, Angola on Friday.

Addressing the opening ceremony, Angolan Minister of Energy and Water Resources Joao Baptista Borges said the project, the largest of its kind being built in the country, is crucial to the economic construction of Angola in the future.

"It will solve the power shortage in Angola and play an active role in increasing employment of the country," he said, adding that the Angola government felt gratitude to the Chinese government and Chinese enterprises for their support to the development of Angola.

Located at the North Kwanza province, the hydropower project will be constructed by China Gezhouba Group Co., Ltd (CGGC).

According to Ren Jianguo, deputy general manager of CGGC, the group will turn Caculo Cabaca Hydropower Project into a high-quality project, making contribution to Angola's energy and power, infrastructure improvement, social and economic development, and people's livelihood improvement.

Angola Caculo Cabaca Hydropower Project is currently the largest hydropower station to be constructed by a Chinese company in Africa, Ren said, adding that upon completion, the project is expected to meet more than 50 percent of the country's electricity needs.

The project has a total contractual value of 4.5 billion U.S. dollars and has a planned installed capacity of 2,172 megawatts. The project will be completed within 80 months, and during the peak construction period nearly 10,000 jobs are expected to be provided for the locals.

According to the contract, CGGC will also be responsible for the four-year operation and maintenance of the power plant and for training a group of professional power plant operation management and technical personnel for Angola.

Cui Aimin, Chinese Ambassador to Angola, said that China is Angola's largest trading partner while Angola is China's second largest trading partner in Africa as well as the largest source country of imports in Africa.

To date, Angola is one of the countries in Africa to have the most extensive cooperation with China in investment and financing as well as infrastructure construction. China has cumulatively invested close to 50 billion U.S. dollars in the country, covering various fields in the infrastructure sector.

 

[JSCh]

China’s hydro dominance in Africa and beyond
By Ma Danning (People's Daily Online) 14:37, August 08, 2017

Angolan President Jose Eduardo dos Santos (front) inaugurated the construction of the Caculo Cabaca Hydropower Project in Dondo, Angola on Aug. 4, 2017. (Xinhua/Xu Kunpeng)

Angolan President Jose Eduardo dos Santos on Aug 4 laid the symbolic first stone for the Caculo Cabaca Dam, the largest hydroelectric dam ever built in the country, adding a new mega project to the growing reach of Chinese contractors in Africa.

The $4.5 billion scheme, being financed by the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, will be constructed by the state-owned China Gezhouba Group.

When complete around 2023, it will generate 2.2 GW of power from the Kwanza River in North Kwanza province, expected to meet more than half of the country's power needs. Nearly 10,000 local jobs will be created during the peak construction period.

Addressing the opening ceremony on Friday, Energy and Water Resources Minister Joao Baptista Borges called the project "crucial" to the economic construction of Angola. “It will solve the power shortage in Angola and bring jobs to the country,” he said.

Chinese state-owned conglomerates behind colossal dams like The Three Gorges and some of the world’s highest-situated dams on the Tibetan Plateau have flexed their engineering muscles in Africa.

By late June, according to survey by People’s Daily Online, Chinese firms have raised or contracted to build hydropower plants in at least 24 out of 54 African countries. The dams form a circular web linking nearly all hydroelectricity sweet spots in the continent: in northeast Africa's Nile Basin, Sinohydro is at the heart of the Merowe Dam and the Roseires Dam in Sudan, and Dongfang Electricas contracted Africa’s 3rd largest hydro station to date, the 1.87 GW Gilgel Gibe III in Ethiopia, the dubbed“Water Tower of Africa". In western Africa, myriad Chinese-built stations are rising in “hydro-hegemon” Guinea, the source of the region’s longest river Niger, and its drainage area countries Mali and Nigeria. In central Africa, Gezhouba Group has just laid the groundwork for the 240 MW Busanga Dam along the Congo River in DR Congo in March, joining the China’s hydro legion in the Congo Basin following projects in Central African Republic, Congo Republic, Zambia, Angola, and Cameroon. To the south, China-built dams cover Zambezi river basin countries Mozambique and Zimbabwe.

But this is not the whole African presence of Chinese hydro giants. Exemplifying Sinohydro alone, the Chinese company known for building China’s Three Gorges Dam is actively taking on irrigation, waste treatment, water conveyance, drainage, and other water-related projects, as well as real estate and transportation construction in Africa. The company has more than 430 projects conducive to livelihood betterment in nearly 40 African countries, covering 3/4 of the continent, according to the company’s website.

Despite all the progress, experts predict that the potential for China to boost profits and expand African market share remains huge.

“By 2014, only 8-9% of hydro power potential in Africa had been tapped. The rate is in the double digits in Southeast Asia, much lower than the 70-80% potential realized in developed countries. Power Construction Corporation and its subsidiary Sinohydro can still thrive in the overseas hydro market for another 30-50 years,” Zhang Boting, vice secretary general of China Society for Hydropower Engineering, said in an earlier interview.

Bakun Dam by Sinohydro in Sarawak, Malaysia, on the Balui River.

World's Contractor

In fact, outside the more saturated and mature markets in North America and Europe, Chinese hydro power makers have been exporting their technical prowess across all continents and regional blocs.

In Latin America, where half of its electricity production is from hydroelectric sources, Chinese companies have laid roots in 11 out of its 34 countries and regions, Mexico, Cuba, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Honduras and more.

In Equador, with over 200 enormous water bodies, Sinohydro manufactured the country’s largest energy project in history, the 1.5 GW Coca Codo Sinclair Hydroelectric Complex that was inaugurated in April 2016. Once fully operational, the station will supply 40% of the nation's electricity needs and export $200 million worth of power to neighboring countries including Columbia.

In Bolivia, a country that sits at an average altitude of 3,700 meters, Sinohydro has flexed its engineering muscles by raising the $235 million San Jose hydro project on the rim of the Altiplano highland. The project is expected to send 124 MW of energy to the national grid, powering 3 million residents in the country’s Cochabamba department. Bolivia's President Evo Morales has visited the site three times and gave high recognition of its importance to consolidate the nation's electric power infrastructure.

Chinese hydroelectricity makers have also made headway in seven out of eleven countries in Southeast Asia; five out of seven South Asia countries; Kazakhstan and Tajikistan in Central Asia, Turkey, and Iran in the Middle East. In 2013 and 2014, respectively, Sinohydro was awarded contracts to build in Romania and Bosnia-Herzegovina, a springboard to enter the high-end European market with stricter standards for new players.

 

[JSCh]

Chinese firm begins construction of Indonesia’s pioneer coal-fired power station
By Zhang Huan (People's Daily Online) 13:45, August 10, 2017

An artist rendition of the Kalbar-1 project​

A Chinese private enterprise on August 7 began constructing of a coal-fired power generation project in Indonesia, Thepaper.cn reported on August 9.

The first stage of the Kalbar-1 project in the western area of Kalimantan, which will be jointly constructed by the Chinese firm, Taicang Harbor Golden Concord Electric-Power Generation Company Ltd and Indonesia Power, is expected to be completed in 2020.

The project leader said Indonesia’s population is three times that of China’s Jiangsu province, but power generation is merely 56 million kilowatts or half of Jiangsu’s.

Statistics show that 2,519 Indonesian villages lack electricity. West Kalimantan depends on diesel generating sets at high cost and emissions, while electricity is imported from Malaysia at high price.

The project is expected to produce about 1.4 billion kWh of electricity a year, mitigate power supply shortage in the region to a great extent and promote local employment in addition to economic development.

Most countries along the Belt and Road lack electricity, which provides a good chance for Chinese energy enterprises to seek development overseas. Meanwhile, the en-route nations will benefit from advanced technology and job opportunities brought by the enterprises, Zhu Gongshan, the enterprise’s chairman noted.