On August 12, local time, the first unit of the SK Hydropower Station in Pakistan, a key project of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and the largest greenfield hydropower investment project overseas by Chinese companies, was officially connected to the grid and began generating electricity.

SK Hydropower Station is controlled and invested by China Energy Construction Haitou Company, participated in by Gezhouba International Company, and constructed by Gezhouba Third Company and Gezhouba Electromechanical Company. The power station is located on the Kunhar River in Cape Province, Pakistan, 265 kilometers away from the capital Islamabad. It is a diversion hydropower station with a long tunnel and ultra-high water head. The total investment of the power station is US$1.962 billion, with a water head of more than 900 meters. A total of 4 impulse units are installed, with a total installed capacity of 884 megawatts and a total storage capacity of 13.45 million cubic meters.

　　As a landmark project of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, the SK Hydropower Station has the largest single-unit capacity of impulse turbine generator sets overseas and the world's deepest pressure shaft group, with high construction technical standards and great construction difficulty. At the same time, the SK Hydropower Station is the largest hydropower station that China can invest and build overseas, and is a landmark project of the company's high-quality co-construction of the "Belt and Road Initiative", which is of great significance to promoting the high-quality development of the company's overseas investment business.

　　The first unit of the SK Hydropower Station completed the dry commissioning test on May 25, and the water commissioning test on June 16. The unit overspeed test was completed on June 20. All electrical tests were completed on July 1, and the conditions for grid-connected power generation were met. The reverse power supply test was completed on August 7, achieving "one-time installation, one-time successful start-up, one-time successful commissioning, and one-time successful trial operation" for the first unit. The monitoring of the commissioning and trial operation by engineering and technical personnel showed that its various technical parameter indicators such as stability, swing, temperature, and noise are all better than the design standards.

The first unit (Unit J4) in operation

After the project is fully operational, it is expected to generate 3.212 billion kWh of electricity annually, saving about 1.28 million tons of standard coal and reducing carbon dioxide emissions by about 3.2 million tons each year, providing affordable clean electricity for more than 1 million Pakistani households. During the peak construction period, the SK project created up to 6,600 jobs, effectively driving local social and economic development.