China-built hydropower project achieves river closure in NW Pakistan

China-built hydropower project achieves river closure in NW Pakistan marking a rapid move in its construction progress.

The China-built Mohmand Hydropower Project in Pakistan reached a significant milestone on Friday with the river closure, marking a rapid advancement in its construction progress.

Situated on the Swat River in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, the 800-megawatt hydropower project is being constructed by China Gezhouba Group Corporation (CGGC).

Asim Rauf, general manager and director of the project for the Pakistan Water and Power Development Authority, praised the Chinese company for its professionalism and skills. He noted that the project will greatly improve the quality of life, boost Pakistan’s power capacity, and contribute to the country’s economic growth.

Highlighting the strong Pakistan-China friendship and collaboration, the manager emphasized the Pakistani government’s ongoing support to ensure the project is completed on schedule and becomes operational.

Cui Jian, the project manager from CGGC, mentioned that nearly 6,000 jobs were created at the peak of the project.

The construction team has been tackling technical challenges and aims to deliver this state-of-the-art water facility to the people of Pakistan as soon as possible, he said.

Once operational, the project is expected to generate 2.86 billion kilowatt-hours of clean electricity annually, expand irrigation to 16,700 hectares, and supply 140 million cubic meters of drinking water to the local population each year, according to the Chinese manager.