PowerChina eyes investment in Punjab’s energy sector

LAHORE: Chinese energy giant PowerChina has expressed interest in investing in Punjab’s energy sector, including potential projects in the province’s Special Economic Zones (SEZs), as the provincial government seeks to attract foreign investment and expand renewable energy generation.

The interest was shown during a meeting between Punjab Minister for Industries and Commerce Chaudhry Shafay Hussain and a delegation of PowerChina at PESSI House on Davis Road, where the two sides discussed investment opportunities in the province’s SEZs.

PowerChina’s Director for the South Asia Region, Yao Chen Yang, said the group had invested millions of dollars in various sectors of Pakistan’s economy and was also working on the Diamer-Bhasha Dam project. He said the company was interested in investing in the energy sector within Punjab’s SEZs.

Ch Shafay said Punjab’s SEZs had become an attractive destination for domestic and foreign investors, adding that Chinese and other international companies had already invested billions of dollars in the province, while additional foreign investors were also exploring opportunities.

The minister said Punjab offered substantial investment potential in Electric Vehicles (EVs), energy and several other sectors, assuring the Chinese group that the provincial government would extend all possible facilitation for investment in any of the province’s SEZs.

The minister revealed that the Punjab government was planning small hydropower projects on canals across the province, inviting PowerChina to explore opportunities for developing such projects. Investors operating in the SEZs could benefit from a 10-year income tax exemption and a one-time duty-free import facility for machinery. He encouraged PowerChina to take advantage of the investment opportunities and incentives available in the province.

Chairman of the Punjab Industrial Estates Development and Management Company (PIEDMC) Azam Shahzad, Chief Operating Officer Ali Muazzam, Head of the Punjab Asia Investment and Cooperation Office Wahab Tariq Butt, Punjab Board of Investment Director Dr Imran Hashmi and other officials attended the meeting.

PowerChina officials were accompanied by their local partner and CEO of Kamak Group of Companies, Muhammad Arsalan Khan, along with other representatives.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2026