China's Power International Holding and Pakistani Hub Power Company Limited will build a $2 billion coal-fired power plant in Hub in Pakistan's southwestern Balochistan Province, Xinhua reported at the ground breaking ceremony on Tuesday.
According to Xinhua, the power plant will have two 660-megawatt power units, which are expected to generate 9 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity for about four million local Pakistani households after its completion in 2019.
"The Balochistan provincial government recently also got a minor shareholding in the project. The government's participation will enable the project to demonstrate the close collaboration in the enterprise between the government and the private sector in China and Pakistan," Wang Binghua, chairman of the board of China Power International Holding was quoted as saying in a report.
The Pakistan Minister of Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal described the project as another "milestone" for the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. He added that the power plant will provide energy and development impetus to Balochistan and address Pakistan's shortage of power.
By Huseyin Erdogan
Anadolu Agency
huseyin.erdogan@aa.com.tr
