Pakistan, China agree to expedite work on Bahawalpur solar project
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900MW solar project launched in Quaid-i-Azam Solar Power Park - AFP/File
LAHORE: Pakistan and China have agreed to gear up work on generating 900 megawatts of electricity in Bahawalpur Solar Power Park, said a
report published on Radio Pakistan.
The understanding came during a meeting between Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif and a Chinese delegation in Lahore today.
Speaking on the occasion, the chief minister said the solar power park project is part of the China-Pak Economic Corridor (CPEC).
He said the project will be completed by 2016 while 300 megawatts (MW) of electricity will be generated from the power park by the end of this year.
Read: PM Nawaz inaugurates country's first solar park
Shahbaz also said the Chinese company will be provided all possible facilities for timely completion of the project as per the best international standards.
In the first phase, at least 0.5 million solar panels were installed in three blocks over 500 acres of the solar park land.
Earlier, the infrastructure for the park, including a boundary wall, buildings and roads were constructed while water was taken to the site from a nearby canal. The construction work of the first phase of 100MW had been completed earlier in the year.
Also read: Bahawalpur to have $1.5bn world’s largest solar power plant
The second and third units of the solar park comprise 300MW and 600MW, respectively. The work on these two units had been jointly inaugurated during by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Chinese President Xi Jinping during the latter's visit in March.
The second phase is expected to be completed in the beginning of next year followed by work on the third phase.