ISLAMABAD - Work is in full swing on a 300 megawatts coal-fired power plant which will be functional by October 2023, Gwadar Pro reported on Saturday.

Around 150,000 people of Gwadar will be free from electricity and water problems by the end of 2023 under the 2050 Master Plan of Gwadar.

The power plant, an independent power producer, is one of the key energy projects on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

While addressing a meeting with members of Association of Builders and Developers of Pakistan, Shahzeb Khan Kakar, Director-General of Gwadar Development Authority, said that the project aims to improve the reliability of local power supply and gradually solve the current situation of economic development and urban construction in the Gwadar region being restricted by the shortage of power.

“We are currently spending millions of dollars a year to generate electricity from diesel generators. I hope the plant will be put into operation soon to solve the port’s power problem,” said Zhang Baozhong, Chairman of China Overseas Ports Holding Company.

The power plant is of great significance to deepening the energy cooperation between China and Pakistan, boosting the development of the Belt and Road Initiative, improving the overall power structure of Balochistan, and promoting local economic construction in Gwadar Port.

At present, China Communications Construction Company (CCCC), the project investor and constructor, is actively promoting the operation of the project.