76 Chinese technicians airlifted to resume work on Matiari-Lahore Transmission Line Project
Beijing: A total of 76 Chinese technicians from China Electric Power Equipment and Technology Co. Ltd. (CET) were transported to Pakistan by the company’s second chartered flight to resume work on the ongoing Matiari to Lahore Transmission Line Project.
Matiari-Lahore DC Power Transmission Project is a priority project under China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) framework. The Chinese technicians reached in Islamabad on Saturday, according to a report published by China Economic Net (CEN) on Monday.
It is the first DC power transmission project in Pakistan and the first local project open to foreign investment in power transmission and converting.
The China Electric Power Equipment and Technology Co. Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of State Grid Corporation of China, started work on the project on December 1, 2018. At present, a total of 1,069 Chinese and 1,505 Pakistani personnel have been engaged in the project.
Pakistan registered its first COVID-19 patient at the end of February this year, and the cases saw a spike in the following months. During this difficult time, while doing a good job in COVID-19 prevention and control, the State Grid Corporation of China effectively promoted the resumption of work and production, and sent Chinese support technicians and anti-pandemic supplies to Pakistan via chartered flights.
The first batch of 130 support technicians for Matiari-Lahore DC Power Transmission Project already landed in Pakistan on June 10.
“After two weeks of isolation, we started the project acceptance checks of converter stations at both ends. Despite the language barrier and business differences between the two countries, we put forward a number of operation and maintenance and acceptance schemes, which were recognized by all parties involved in the construction,” said Wu Mingxing, one of the first batch of support technicians.
In the next step, the State Grid will accelerate the construction of Matiari-Lahore DC Power Transmission Project to ensure that it would be put into operation as scheduled.
