Construction work begins on CPEC’s Karot Hydropower Project

The construction of Karot Hydropower Project, a priority project under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) initiative, has officially started.

The construction begins after the Jhelum River, on which the station is being constructed, was closed days ago. The Karot Hydropower Project is located in the Karot area of Punjab and is the fourth level of the Jhelum River Cascade Hydropower Project.

According to People’s Daily, a Chinese daily, the Jhelum River, being a tributary of the Indus River with a vertical fall of about 766 yards, which runs through India and Pakistan, will provide huge resources for the hydropower station.

As per the report, the Karot Hydropower Project is the first hydropower station constructed by Chinese enterprises with Chinese techniques following Chinese standards. The project will generate clean power of 3.2 billion kW-hours each year after it is completed, which is equivalent to 10 percent of the total hydroelectric power of Pakistan in 2017.

The power output is enough to supply power to over two million Pakistani households and is expected to begin operation in 2021.

With a total investment of about $1.74 billion, the Karot Hydropower Project is built, owned, operated and handed over as an investment model. After the 30-year operation period, it will be transferred to the Pakistani government free of charge.