ISLAMABAD: A high-powered delegation of the Chinese National Energy Administration (NEA), led by its administrator, held talks on Tuesday with Pakistani officials on Diamer-Bhasha dam project and feasibilities being conducted on the North Indus cascade.

NEA Administrator Nur Bekri termed the meeting on the Bhasha dam successful and expressed the hope that the process would continue and both Pakistan and China would share relevant data to proceed further on the project.

During a meeting with the NEA delegation, Minister for Water and Power Khawaja Mohammad Asif said that the feasibility studies being carried out by Chinese on the Indus River cascade would be a leap towards tapping indigenous hydropower resources.

“This will not only cater to electricity requirements of the country, but also provide a lifeline to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects in the long run.

“Carrying out the feasibility studies is part of the memorandum of understanding signed by the two countries recently,” the minister said.

The conversion of the study into a formal memorandum of understanding was done during the last visit of the prime minister to explore ways and means to finance and build these projects.

Khawaja Asif said that exemplary close contacts between the ministry of water and power and the NEA were paying dividends in the shape of development of energy projects at a smooth pace. He said that even now when the high-powered delegation of the NEA was visiting Pakistan, high officials of the ministry were in China to continue a close liaison on all related issues.

Mr Nur Bekri said that the decision to launch the CPEC had been taken at the right time by both counties since it was bearing fruit as expected.

He specially mentioned the ministry of water and power and its various entities for facilitating Chinese investors in different phases of setting up of their projects.

The Chinese delegation presen­ted a model of newly-built first-ever CPEC project, Sahiwal coal power plant, to the ministry for water and power.

Published in Dawn, July 5th, 2017