More than 790MW electricity and 200 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd) gas will be required for nine notified Special Economic Zones (SEZs) under China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
According to documents available with Business Recorder, as many as nine Special Economic Zones including (1) Rashakai Comprehensive SEZ, Nowshera, KP, (2) Allama Iqbal Industrial City, Faisalabad, (3) China Special Economic Zone, Dhabejji Thatta, (4) IT Park, Islamabad, (5) Bostan Industrial Zone, Balochistan, (6) SEZ Port Qasim Karachi, (7) Moondash SEZ, Gilgit-Baltistan, (8) Mirpur SEZ, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and (9) Momand Marbel City, TATA, would be established under the CPEC which have been notified.
Special Economic Zones in Gilgit-Baltistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan would attract investment in mineral and agriculture sector and would boost the overall economic status of the provinces.
The government has proposed additional incentives for industrial zones, for example one window operation by Special Economic Zone Authority (SEZA), bulk purchase of basic utilities and renting out of sheds for industrial use, etc, and all SEZs in Pakistan will be open for investors not only from China but also from throughout the world. There will be equal incentive structure for all investors. Hence, no additional concession/incentive will be given only to the Chinese investors.
Rashakai Industrial Zone in Nowshera would consist of 1,000 acres of land and focus on fruit, food packaging and textile stitching/knitting. There is requirement of 209 MW of electricity and 30 mmcfd gas for this SEZ. Dhabeji Industrial Zone also consists of 1,000 acres of land and would target foundries, steel, building material, petrochemical, automotive and allied, light engineering, textile and garments etc. It requires 200MW electricity and 15 mmcfd gas.
Allama Iqbal Industrial City, Faisalabad, would consist of 3,000 acres of land. It would target textile, steel, pharmaceuticals, engineering, chemical, food processing, plastic, agriculture implements etc. The industry requires 375MW electricity and 150 mmcfd gas.
Bostan Industrial Zone (1,000 acres of land) will focus on fruit processing, agriculture machinery, pharmaceutical, motor bikes assembly, chromites, cooking oil, ceramic industries, ice and cold storage, electric appliances, and Halal food industry.
Moondash Gilgit industrial zone (250 acres of land) will target marble/granite, iron ore processing, fruit processing, steel industry, mineral processing unit and leather industry. Industrial Party on Pakistan Steel Mill land in Port Qasim near Karachi (1,500 acres of land) would target steel, auto and allied, pharmaceutical, chemical, printing and packaging and garments, etc.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2019

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