ISLAMABAD, Oct. 27 (Xinhua) -- The China-built Balakot Hydropower Project in Pakistan achieved river closure on Saturday, marking the start of the dam's main construction phase.

Located on the Kunhar River in the northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, the 300-megawatt hydropower project is contracted by China Energy Engineering Corporation (CEEC) and constructed by its subsidiary, China Gezhouba Group Third Engineering Co., Ltd. The project officially commenced in September 2021.

Syed Habib Ullah Shah, chief executive officer of the Pakhtunkhwa Energy Development Organization, as well as the person-in-charge of the owner of the project, said at the ceremony that the project is the largest hydropower scheme currently under construction in KP.

Once completed, it will help meet Pakistan's growing energy demand, support the country's economic goals, contribute to climate change mitigation, and promote green and low-carbon transition, he said.

The project, Shah added, will also reduce Pakistan's dependence on energy imports and enhance its energy security and economic resilience.

Mao Huigang, general manager of China Gezhouba Group Third Engineering Co., Ltd, said that the project has so far created more than 2,000 local jobs and boosted related industries such as power, construction materials, and services.

He added that the Chinese company will continue to strengthen cooperation with its Pakistani partners in the fields of energy, power, and water resources, and make all-out efforts to advance the main dam construction, building the project into a model of China-Pakistan energy cooperation.

Once operational, the Balakot Hydropower Project is expected to generate an average of 1.144 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually, sufficient to meet the power needs of around 1.8 million people.■