Daily Times

The Matiari-Lahore transmission line project is another example of how China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) has contributed to improvement of people’s livelihood and economic development in Pakistan.

“The project will offer local people access to stable and high quality electricity and it’s of great significance to breaking the bottleneck of South-North power transmission in Pakistan,” Chinese Foreign Ministry’s Spokesperson Wang Wenbin said during his regular briefing held here on Monday. According to media reports, the first power grid project on the CPEC, the Matiari-Lahore transmission line project contracted by the State Grid Corporation of China has started power transmission from June 25. This is the first direct current transmission line in Pakistan.

In the vast desert in eastern Pakistan, a 900-kilometer line stretches from Matiari to Lahore, spanning most of the areas in Sindh and Punjab. This is the ±600 KV HVDC transmission line, a power project with the highest voltage and the only direct-current transmission in Pakistan. It is also the only key grid project under CPEC.

The spokesperson said, as an important pilot project of Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the CPEC has made significant progress in various sectors including energy since its launch. This has not only boosted Pakistan’s faster economic and social development but also played a positive role in promoting regional connectivity.