Pakistan to seek Chinese help on KBD and Bhasha

By Khalid Mustafa

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is to seek monetary and technical assistance from China on the Kalabagh and Bhasha dams, with work on one of the two set to start in June 2004, Daily Times has learnt.

President General Pervez Musharraf is also to seek help for the construction of the second 300-MW Chashma Nuclear Power Plant (ChashNuPP-2) and the Skardu, Akori and Munda dams when he visits China in the first week of November, according to sources in the Water and Power Ministry. China helped Pakistan build the 300-MW ChashNuPP-1.

The sources said if the projects do get built, Pakistan would have an additional 31.59 million acre feet of water storage capacity and installed power generation capacity of 11,700 MW.

The sources said the water and power minister had recommended to the president that he also seek Chinese cooperation in 11 prospective hydropower projects: the Neelum-Jhelum (969 MW), Kohala (749 MW), Dasu (2,712 MW), Pattan (1,172 MW), Thakot (1,043 MW), Bunji (1,500 MW), Chokoti (139 MW), Naran (219 MW), Azad Pattan (222 MW), Matiltan (84MW) and Taunsa (120 MW) hydropower projects.

China is currently helping Pakistan build the Khan Khawar (72 MW), Duber Khawar (130MW) and Allai Khawar (121 MW) power plants. China has signed memorandums of understanding (MoUs) for four projects: the Golan Gole (106 MW), Jinnah (196 MW) and Keyal Khawar (130 MW) and canal falls hydropower projects.

A high level chaired by Finance Minister Shaukat Aziz is to be held in the Finance Ministry to finalise the projects the president will take up with his Chinese counterpart in Beijing.

According to sources in the Commerce Ministry, Pakistan will also sign a border trade agreement with China, as the last one elapsed in December 2002. The sources said Pakistan would also sign MoUs on four projects mineral extraction in NWFP and Balochistan.

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