CPEC projects not only bring electricity to us, but also train professionals, and contribute to the well-being of local people for Pakistan, said Muhammad Muneeb, a senior official of Sahiwal Coal-fired Power Station, who awarded the Outstanding Pakistani Employee of CPEC Project by the Chinese Embassy, according to a report published by Gwadar Pro on Saturday. The Sahiwal project, initiated in 2015, plays a crucial role in domestic electricity supply. Muneeb introduced to Gwadar Pro that Sahiwal lies in the industrial hub region between Lahore, Multan and Faisalabad. Its location was chosen as an electric load center. “As the CPEC power projects entered the system, the country’s load shedding reduced from an average of 18 hours to almost negligible. The Sahiwal project is directly influencing the lives of local communities through continuous supplying power,” he said. In addition to electricity, CPEC projects also bring more invisible value to Pakistan. Muneeb said, “More importantly, this project gave job opportunities to locals. Most of the engineers, managers and workers are from nearby areas. This project is changing people’s life standard.” “This type of project was totally new and with advanced super-critical technology. It was a golden chance for me to work in a multinational company which could be predicted to be a great deal of learning,” he recalls, “I went to China for technical training for 9 months. During this trip, we accepted on-site training, which is the best way to learn about power plant physics and gain professional knowledge. Our Chinese masters first gave us theoretical knowledge and then we were taken to the site on a daily basis and we were prepared for work well before completion of the project.” Munneb believed that the experience of working in Sahiwal promoted his career, so that he could get more opportunities to have a better life and a rosier future. “I learned coal power plant knowledge from here and learned a lot from advanced thinking and management experiences of China. Talking about future plans, along with my professional career, I am already doing M.Sc. in Thermal Power Engineering.” Meanwhile, Muneeb and his colleagues in Sahiwal are working on making coal power clean by using advanced technology. “Coal power can be cleaner, and a huge part of produced energy can be saved. We will find out ways to improve thermal coal power plant efficiency, so as to make it more environment friendly.” In the exclusive interview, Muneeb appealed, “As CPEC has entered its second phase, I encourage people of different sectors to take part in its projects and request Pakistani authorities to keep in view the importance of CPEC, give further support to increase its speed to harvest its fruit.”