by Yuan Xiaona

 

ISLAMABAD, May 14 (China Economic Net) – China Gezhouba Group Company (CGGC) will integrate into China and Pakistan’s overall cooperation and contribute more to Pakistan’s economic and social development, said Chen Xiaohua, President of CGGC.  

 

Chen made the remarks when meeting with Pakistani Ambassador to China Moin ul Haque in Wuhan, China on April 6, 2021. 

 

Haque said a number of key projects invested and constructed by CGGC have played an important role in boosting Pakistan’s economic growth and creating jobs.

 

Haque expected CGGC to continue engaging in the construction of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and write a new chapter for Pak-China friendship.    

 

 

CGGC first entered Pakistan in 2003 and started Neelum Jhelum Hydropower Project, its first hydropower project in 2008, according to Lyu Xiufeng, General Manager of Pakistan Branch of CGGC.  

 

Neelum Jhelum Hydropower Project is called as Pakistan’s Three Gorges project (China's massive multi-functional water control facility on the Yangtze River, also the world's largest hydroelectric power project).

 

It took one decade for CGGC to complete this mega project because of its a high difficulty level of construction with 90 percent of the construction lying underground in high mountainous areas.

 

"This project concluded despite of the difficulties," said Pakistan’s then Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi when he inaugurated the first unit of the Neelum-Jhelum hydroelectric project in April 2018.   

 

During 2008-2018, workers of CGGC had overcome one obstacle after another, by world-class technology, excellent capability and unremitting efforts.

 

To ensure Neelum-Jhelum project’s security, CGGC chose the scheme of low dam and long diversion tunnel when designing the dam type. The length of its diversion tunnel is 68 kilometers, rare in the world.

 

The hardest part, about 17 km, to construct, is beneath a mountain. By the conventional drilling and blasting method, it would face huge challenges and its construction process would also prolong. 

 

To solve the world-class technological problem of constructing this super long diversion tunnel, CGGC decided to use the state-of-the-art tunnel boring machine (TBM) in Pakistan for the first time.

 

Many famous experts in rock and soil mechanics and geologists once said that there had been no successful precedent of TBM tunneling in the Himalayas range, the youngest and most geologically active region in the world. Anyone who could successfully use TBM in the Himalayas would make history in tunnel construction.    

    

In 2012, Pakistan’s first TBM came to the site of the Neelum-Jhelum hydroelectric project.  

 

 

Besides the technological problems, the Neelum-Jhelum project had been hit by four major natural disasters during the decade, each of which had pushed the project to the brink of failure, according to Feng Xinglong, vice general manager of CGGC, in charge of this project during March 2009 to December 2013.   

 

For example, in May 2015, No. 696 Tunnel Boring Machine ran into a rockburst, the severest one of over 200 ones in four years, and was badly damaged.

 

“I was very sad when arriving at the project site. On one hand, we had to conciliate frightened work staff. On the other hand, we must make a solution,” said Feng.

 

He added that, “After repeated research and argumentation, we decided to resume TBM.” However, the client of NJ project and the German manufacturer of TBM were both skeptical about whether it could be repaired. They once even proposed to discard it.

 

Amid the pressure, CGGC work staff had gradually dug TBM from the ruins like "ants gnawing a bone". 

 

The Chinese technicians quickly started repairing the damaged equipment on the spot and they made it within only seven months, which is a miracle.

 

Finally, TBM resumed tunneling on January 10, 2016. With its roar, TBM tunneled 3.06 meters on that day.  

   

If CGGC had followed the advice of TBM’s manufacturer to replace all the damaged parts, they would have taken as long as one year to finish the procurement and shipping of the parts, plus a high cost. 

 

For CGGC constructers, this project has forged the unique NJ spirit: “Staying calm on the edge of cliff, remaining perseverant in despair, and being responsible in face of catastrophes." 

 

It is by the unique NJ spirit that CGGC had creatively solved various problems, pushed ahead and completed the mega project, which is designed to generate 5.15 billion kilowatt-hours of clean energy annually, accounting for 12 percent of Pakistan’s hydropower generation. 

 

Besides easing power shortages in part of Pakistan, this project is estimated to generate a fiscal revenue of 45 billion rupees ($442 million) annually, according to CGGC.

The Neelum-Jhelum is of great significance to promote local economic and social development and improve people's livelihood.     

 

“For CGGC, excellent performance and project delivery are the best way to advertise ourselves. We win the trust of clients by our performance, profession and technology,” Lyu told China Economic Net (CEN). 

 

Lyu Xiufeng, General Manager of Pakistan Branch of CGGC receives an exclusive interview with China Economic Net in April 30, 2021. [Photo by CEN]   

 

Based on CGGC’s excellent performance in Pakistan and beyond, CGGC has been awarded more and more projects in Pakistan, including Dasu hydropower project, Suki Kinari Hydropower Project, Mohmand Dam hydropower project, Azad Pattan Hydropower Project, Balakot Hydropower Project and Karot Hydropower Project.   

 

Haque appreciated the leading role of CGGC in Pakistan’s energy infrastructure development. 

 

Haque and Chen expressed to further deepen strategic cooperation in energy, environmental protection, agriculture and tourism sectors of Pakistan and make new contributions to the China-Pakistan All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership.   

 

 

Lyu told CEN that CGGC’s success belongs to the hardworking and talented team and every team member, both Chinese and Pakistani. For example, Laurel Wang, a Chinese girl, has been working in Pakistan for a decade so far.

 

China and Pakistan are iron brothers. However, there are still some differences, like language, religion, thinking and so on. Laurel, as a female, often meets some obstacles during work.

 

With the spirit of mutual respect, understanding and learning from each other, she tried her best to overcome these difficulties by learning the local culture and related knowledge. Now she is professional in dealing with these issues.

 

Lyu said, “Laurel in my understanding is a hero to the success of our business in Pakistan. She is one of the representatives of CGGC’s team. CGGC has thousands of heroes like her in Pakistan.” 

 

 

Li Zhili, a Chinese worker, works for Karot Hydropower Project. Before the 2020 Spring Festival Holiday, the Chinese New Year, Li chose to stay in Pakistan and continue working at the site instead of returning to China for family reunions. 

 

Li said, “The registered employees of Karot project is around 5,000, including 1,200 Chinese workers. About half of Chinese workers decided to work in the site. The reason is that they want to complete the project as early as possible and ease the electricity shortage pressure of Pakistan.”   

 

Niazi, a Pakistani, works as a translator and interpreter in Karot Hydropower Project after studying in China for five years.

 

He said, “Chinese brothers came here for Karot and CPEC. We shouldn’t make our Chinese brothers feel lonely. I bring some special food of Pakistan for them. We will celebrate the Spring Festival together. We are family.”    

 

Now, CGGC has around 10,000 Pakistani employees. Among them, the management staff amounts to 1,000. Some of them are financial managers, some are senior advisors. They all grow with CGGC and CPEC. Zain Tariq, Lyu’s assistant, is such an example.

 

Lyu said that Tariq joined in Pakistan Branch of CGGC in 2015. At that time, Tariq came to work by a motorcycle. Now, Tariq drives his new car, a Japanese brand.

 

Six year ago, Tariq was a new graduate and worked as an assistant marketing manager. Now, he takes the post of senior marketing manager and his promotion is due to years of training and study.

 

Personally, Tariq has owned a sweet family in the past six years. “I am very happy to see that,” said Lyu. 

 

Mohammed Aram is a senior manager of Security and Environment Division in Karot Hydropower Project.

 

He said many Pakistani engineers and workers in this project came from Punjab and other provinces. Among them, only a small fraction had the experience of hydropower station construction.

 

Most of them had gradually learned the related technologies of hydropower station construction under the hand-to-hand guidance of Chinese engineers and skilled workers.

 

“The main benefit of this project is that the local people could learn a lot from the Chinese as they have more advanced technology. People, like me, can learn a lot from our Chinese counterparts. In the future, the facility will be transferred to locals to operate, which will benefit the local people in Pakistan,” Mohammed Aram said.  

 

“CPEC has changed my life completely. CPEC is a fate changer of Pakistan. It is believed that with the development of CPEC, China-Pakistan friendship will be further strengthened,”said Tariq.

 

Lyu said, “I will share my 13 years’ experience with new Chinese and Pakistani colleagues so that they can make more contributions to CPEC.”   

 

  

 

A bus carrying 20 passengers overturned on its way from Gilgit to Islamabad on March 29, 2021. After receiving the local traffic management department’s call for help, Dasu project team of CGGC immediately set up a volunteer rescue team and dispatched equipment to the site. 

 

On arriving at the site, CGGC rescue team first arranged ambulances to take the injured to the nearby hospital. All of them got medical treatment without delay. At the same time, the team made a rescue plan based on the actual situation and equipment’s capacity.

 

After two hours’ efforts, the bus was lifted successfully. The road on the site was smoothed within the shortest time. The rescue got the unanimous praise of the local government and residents.  

 

“Improving people's livelihood and promoting social development is our mission,” said Lyu.

 

CGGC, as a corporate citizen, always conscientiously performs its social responsibility to contribute to the harmonious development between the enterprise and the society as well as the natural environment. 

 

For example, CGGC donated a primary school to local people during the construction of Neelum Jhelum Hydropower Project.

 

In Suki Kinari project, CGGC once participated in several rescues of damaged roads and bridges.

 

During the construction of Dasu project, CGGC helped the local build access roads and repair the damaged Karakoram Highway road.

 

When building the Mohmand dam project, CGGC helped local people build a public drinking water well.

 

In 2020, after the outbreak of COVID-19 in Pakistan, CGGC promptly arranged masks and sanitizers and donated them to local people in Pakistan, which was highly appreciated by the Chinese Embassy in Pakistan and concerned Pakistani organizations. The benefited Pakistanis said, “What CGGC had done won our hearts.”   

 

“I wish my Chinese and Pakistani colleagues will strengthen the China-Pakistan friendship that is ‘higher than mountains, deeper than oceans, stronger than steel and sweeter than honey’,” said Lyu.  

 

Lyu made the remarks in an exclusive interview with CEN before the upcoming 70th anniversary of the establishment of China-Pakistan diplomatic ties. 

 

CGGC, headquartered in Wuhan China, is known as the builder of the Gezhouba Dam, China's first hydroelectric project and the main contractor of the Three Gorges Project, the world's largest hydropower project.

 

CGGC is honored as the elite troops in hydropower sector because of its excellent performance and records in this sector.   

 

CGGC’s mega projects include Argentina’s NKJC project, Angola’s Caculo Cabaca hydropower plant and Ethiopia’s Tekeze hyperpower project.