Karot hydropower station in Pakistan's Punjab Province. (Photo: Ding Xuezhen)

Chinese standards and technologies

In order to let the Pakistani partner, who had been hesitant to adopt Chinese standards, understand China's hydropower technology more comprehensively, China Three Gorges Corporation invited Pakistani experts to visit the Three Gorges hydropower plant and other projects.

“After understanding our technological advantages, the Pakistani experts fully recognized the technical capabilities and development level of China's hydropower industry. That’s how the Karot hydropower station became the first hydropower investment project in Pakistan to fully utilize Chinese technology and Chinese standards,” Yan Dexin, general manager of Karot Power Company Limited, told People’s Daily.

The project is being developed on a Build-Own-Operate-Transfer (BOOT) basis with a 5-year construction period and 30-year concession period.

“We will then leave valuable management experience, skilled human resources and related technologies for follow-up operations when handing over ownership of the project to the Pakistani government for free,” Yan said.

“Hydropower is the main direction of current energy development in Pakistan. China's technology and experience will help us develop hydropower projects according to local conditions,” Javed Akhtar, who is in charge of the Pak-China News Desk of the Independent News Pakistan, told People’s Daily.

Akhtar used to visit the Three Gorges hydropower station in Hubei Province when he was based in China as a journalist in 2001.

“I remember wondering at the time if there was such a hydropower station in Pakistan, could the power shortage problem be solved? I didn’t expect that those who designed and built the great Three Gorges project would come to Pakistan to help us build such a modern hydropower station,” Akhtar said.