(File photo/provided to People's Daily)

The first major power plant under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) has started to generate electricity for Pakistani people and will meet power demand of 10 million locals.

The first unit of the Sahiwal Coal-Fired Power Project was inaugurated on May 25. The unit will generate 660-megawatts of electricity to Pakistan’s national grid and will help relieve energy shortage in the country. The second unit is expected to be started at the end of next month.

The Sahiwal Coal-Fired Power Plant was co-invested and co-built by Huaneng Shandong Power Generation Co. Ltd. and Shandong Ruyi Group. The two units will generate nine billion kwh of electricity annually, meeting the energy needs of about 10 million people. The power plant is regarded as one of the early harvest projects of CPEC.

Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif attended the inauguration ceremony, saying the project will help overcome the country’s load shedding. He also said that completion of the first unit in 22 months is unprecedented, and that the Belt and Road Initiative will not only benefit Pakistan, but also other countries along the route.

Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Sun Weidong also attended the ceremony, saying that more and more tangible outcomes under CPEC and the Belt and Road Initiative are on the way.

The project provided more than 2,000 jobs for locals and helped cultivate nearly 100 engineers for Pakistan, said Duan Changjie, deputy chief engineer of Huaneng Shandong Power Generation Co. Ltd. and project manager of the Sahiwal power plant.