A 300-megawatt solar photovoltaic power plant, financed and built by Chinese energy conglomerate Zonergy Co, has been connected to the grid in the Punjab Province of Pakistan, a major milestone in the economic cooperation between China and Pakistan as part of the "One Belt and One Road" initiative, according to a statement Zonergy sent to the Global Times on Sunday.
According to the statement, the plant is expected to generate up to 480 million kilowatt-hours of power annually, meeting the daily electricity demand of at least 200,000 families in Pakistan.
It is also the first phase of a 900-megawatt photovoltaic power plant project located in the Quaid-e-Azam Solar Park in Bahawalpur, a city in Punjab Province, with a total investment exceeding $1.5 billion.
The plant will be the world's largest single photovoltaic power station, the statement noted.
The project is one of the priority projects in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. Chinese President Xi Jinping witnessed its launch during his State visit to Pakistan in April 2015, the statement said.
In addition to addressing Pakistan's chronic electric shortage, it will create 3,000 jobs and nurture many local technical engineers to work in the growing Pakistan photovoltaic industry.
Local employees will account for about 80 percent of the total operation and maintenance staff, the statement noted.
