Daily Times

The Matiari-Lahore ±660kV high-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission project not only updates Pakistan’s power network and improves people’s living standard, but also strengthens the China-Pakistan traditional friendship, said Hu Mingui, a Chinese builder of Matiari-Lahore project.

According to a China Economic Net (CEN), Hu is a project manager of Guizhou POWER Transmission and Transformation Co., Ltd (Guizhou POWER), China Southern Power Grid.

According to Hu, Guizhou POWER, a sub-contractor of Matiari-Lahore project, is in charge of building 483 towers including tangent towers and strain towers and transmission lines covering about 210 kilometers.

Hu told CEN that, “The success of this project should be attributed to the sincere cooperation between Chinese and our Pakistani brothers.”

Hu said during the nearly two years’ construction period, about 80 Chinese workers stationed at the site.

While, there were about 700 to 800 Pakistani workers at the site at peak time.

Hu recalled that Chinese and Pakistani have worked together, overcome unfavorable impacts brought by COVID-19 pandemic, monsoon and high temperature and managed to complete this project.

When the COVID-19 pandemic spread in Pakistan, strict prevention and control measures were carried out at the site.

“All of Pakistani workers observed these prevention and control measures. There was no one confirmed case at our site. It is very helpful to our construction,” Hu said.

Besides providing anti-pandemic supplies to Pakistani workers, Chinese worker also offer safety education and safety supplies to ensure workers’ safety during work.

“Chinese brothers not only share with us the advanced construction method, equipment, but also bring safety supplies, like safety belt to us from China.

They cherish our safety and we must obey the safety requirements during work,” said a Pakistani worker. “His words impressed me deeply,” Hu said. “With such spirit, we cooperate very well.”

“In addition, Pakistani workers often invite us to celebrate their traditional festivals together, which make us feel warm and touched. This is a special experience for me. I have deeper understanding of China-Pakistan friendship,” said Hu.

Recently, Guizhou POWER was awarded a China-Pakistan Cooperation Medal and a Memorial Medal for its contributions for the Matiari-Lahore project.

It is learnt that nearly 8,000 builders from China and Pakistan take part in the construction of Matiari-Lahore project and around 7,000 jobs had been created for local workers.

Now, Pakistanis have less chances of blackouts and easier access to cheap electricity as the Matiari-Lahore project has come into commercial operation in September 2021. While many people applaud this project, few know anything about the 8,000 unsung heroes that bring light to them.

Hu is just one of the unsung heroes. As the project manager, Hu had stayed in Pakistan for totally 1,061 days during the project’s construction period.

Hu told CEN that he also cherished this experience and would like to make more contributions to CPEC in the future.

Another unsung hero, Hu’s colleague Xiang Yanjun, said, “We get over various difficulties during the process. When we see the lights on of households across Pakistan, we are proud of having contributed to that.” The 878-kilometer-long Matiari-Lahore HVDC project with a capacity of 4,000 megawatt power transmission, starts from the Matiari Converter Station in Sindh in the south, and ends at the Lahore Converter Station in Punjab.

It will be proved as a “leading energy transmission artery from the country’s south to north”.

It is also Pakistan’s first HVDC transmission project. This project will improve Pakistan’s power infrastructure and its capacity to serve social and economic development.