On the afternoon of May 25, 2022 local time, Pakistani Prime Minister Shabazz Sharif inspected the Karot Hydropower Station.

The hydropower station is located in the upper reaches of Karot Bridge in Punjab Province, about 55km from Islamabad in the west. Units 1 and 2 of the Karot Hydropower Station will be connected to the grid and put into trial operation on April 30 and May 5, 2022, respectively. As of May 17, the cumulative power generation has reached 125.34 million kWh, effectively alleviating the power shortage in Pakistan.

Shabazz then delivered a speech and said that the Karot hydropower project symbolizes the iron-clad friendship between Pakistan and China, and that it will further deepen the development of bilateral relations after its completion. At present, the workers of the two countries are working together to strive for the early completion of the Karot Hydropower Station project and full production and power generation, so as to play an active role in promoting Pakistan's economic development and benefiting the Pakistani people.

Karot Hydropower Station is the first large-scale hydropower investment and construction project in the Belt and Road Initiative, and the first hydropower investment project in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. The total investment is about 1.74 billion US dollars, and the total installed capacity is 720,000 kilowatts, which can meet the electricity consumption of 5 million people and effectively alleviate the power shortage problem in Pakistan.Editor/Ma Xue