People**: China-Pakistan Economic Corridor Energy Cooperation – "Promoting the Improvement of Pakistan's Energy Structure".
On January 10, "People's **" published a full-page "China-Pakistan Economic Corridor Energy Cooperation - "Promoting the Improvement of Pakistan's Energy Structure", reporting that the State Grid actively participated in the construction of the "Belt and Road", promoted the energy cooperation of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, and built the Merah DC transmission project in Pakistan to improve the overall transmission capacity of Pakistan's power grid, solve the structural contradiction between supply and demand between the north and the south, significantly improve the local power situation, improve the quality of life of the people, and help the local economic and social development.
The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is an important pilot project of the Belt and Road Initiative. Since its inception in 2013, CPEC has helped Pakistan significantly improve its electricity situation, improve the quality of life of its people, and create conditions for economic and industrial development.
Solve the contradiction between regional supply and demand
Punjab is a densely populated area of Pakistan, an economic and industrial center, and the most demanded area on the country's electricity map. Due to the province's inland location, energy is dependent on external transmission, and the high cost and long-term shortage of supply have hindered the industrial development of Lahore, Faisalabad and other places in the province.
Pakistan's Murtiari-Lahore DC transmission project traverses the desert terrain of southern Punjab province.
In September 2021, the Murtiari-Lahore (Merah) DC transmission project of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) was put into operation, spanning 886 kilometers, realizing large-scale "south-to-north power transmission". As of October 1, 2023, the project has transmitted a total of 32.7 billion kWh of electricity to Pakistan. The project is currently the only DC transmission project in Pakistan, with an annual power transmission capacity of 21% of the entire power consumption of Pakistan, and 60% of its transmission lines passing through desert areas, effectively saving a lot of land resources.
Before the corridor power project was put into operation, Pakistan's power grid was shut down for a long time, not only because of insufficient power generation capacity, but also because of the aging transmission and distribution network and high line loss rate, especially during peak power consumption periods such as summer, when the power grid was overwhelmed and power outages became the norm. Wang Bo, general manager of the third division of China Electric Power Technology and Equipment under the State Grid of China and chief financial officer of Pakistan Murrah DC Transmission Company, said that the Murrah DC transmission project has improved the overall transmission capacity of Pakistan's power grid, solved the structural contradiction between supply and demand between the north and the south, and also enhanced the stability of Pakistan's power grid and played an important supporting role in the smooth operation of Pakistan's power grid.
At the site of the Murtiari-Lahore DC transmission project in Pakistan, Chinese and Pakistani engineers carry out daily maintenance of equipment.
In southern Pakistan, due to the lack of industrial demand for large-load electricity, and the AC power grid can only be supplied locally, the power generated by many power plants, including photovoltaic and wind power projects, cannot be consumed locally, and electricity will be wasted if it cannot be transmitted. Wang Bo said that DC transmission technology is suitable for point-to-point long-distance large-capacity transmission, which can achieve long-distance transmission, and also provides necessary technical support for the effective and stable operation and development of new energy power plants in southern Pakistan.
Mooni Kajaani, a taxi driver living in Islamabad, said: "There are only one to two hours of electricity outages a day in urban areas during the peak summer months, and there are even no power outages in rural areas. ”
In the past 10 years, thanks to the relatively good solution of the power supply and transmission problems of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, many students do not need to light candles to do their homework, and Pakistan's industrial production has also been stabilized. Zamir Asadi, a journalist for Pakistan's Independent News Agency, was deeply moved.
Pakistan's power problem includes multiple links such as power generation, transmission, distribution and social management, and its solution requires comprehensive treatment. Hassan Daoud, director of the Regional Research Center for Belt and Road and Global Governance at the Pakistan Policy Institute for Sustainable Development, believes that the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor has promoted a significant improvement in Pakistan's power development pattern and allowed Pakistan to gradually get out of the dilemma of power shortage.
This article was published in People**, January 10, 2024, page 17).