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BEIJING - The Ministry of Water and Power and State Grid Corporation of China are working closely to build an interconnection power grid between Pakistan and China so that both the countries could tap each other’s energy potential, said Secretary, Ministry of Water and Power Muhammad Younus Dagha in Beijing on Thursday.

Speaking at the Global Energy Interconnection Conference, the secretary said once the grid was completed, Pakistan would be able to meet its energy demands as per its requirements.

“It will also benefit China since it will get an access to clean energy of Pakistan, especially hydroelectricity on the Indus River cascade,” he added.

Dagha said that Pakistan was well poised to become the energy corridor of the region by facilitating the exchange and use of clean energy available in the region.

He said that Pakistan could play an active role in the global energy interconnection.

While apprising about Central Asia South Asia CASA-1000 project, Dagha said that Pakistan was strategically located at the confluence of South Asia, Central Asia, Middle East and China.

“We are aware of the opportunity offered by our geographical location,” he said, adding, “Due to this awareness, we succeeded in signing an agreement on the transmission line, known as CASA-1000 with Tajikistan, Kyrgyz Republic and Afghanistan.”

He added Pakistan already had grid interconnection with Iran and planned to further enhance it.

“We are also working with the South Asian countries to bring interconnectivity within South Asia,” the secretary said, adding, “We have found a lot of interest in CASA-1000 in the countries of the region such as Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and Russia.”

He said that Pakistan, by virtue of its potential, was fast becoming a country with surplus energy.

“When Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Pakistan in April 2015, we had initiated work on 10,400 MWs power generation and 660 HVDC Transmission Line,” he recalled.

He congratulated the four countries, which through a MoU signed at the conference, demonstrated their commitment to work for global interconnectivity.

The secretary said while the country hoped to become self-sufficient in power generation by 2018, it would still have an untapped energy in the shape of more than 60,000 MWs of Hydroelectricity; most of which lies right across the Pakistan-China border, besides an untapped energy of more than 90,000 MWs in the shape of wind power in the south, and, last but not the least, an unlimited potential of solar power all across 850,000 sq kms of its area.