Recently, I drove more than 5 hours from Islamabad, Pakistan, to the site interview of the Sujijinari Hydropower Project on the Kunha River in the Mansehra District of Khyber-Pashtun Province in Northwest Pakistan, and felt the uniqueness here. Chinese New Year atmosphere. According to reports, the Sujijinari Hydropower Station is one of the priority projects of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. Since the start of construction in January 2017, the project has successfully completed important construction links such as the closure of the first and second phases of the dam, and the breakthrough of the diversion tunnel. After the power station is put into operation, it is expected to generate 3.2 billion kwh per year, providing affordable and clean electricity to more than 1 million Pakistani households.

Construction is busy in the mountains

The Sujijinari Hydropower Project site is surrounded by mountains and covered with snow. Along the traffic tunnel to the main factory building located inside the mountain, in the wide underground space, CMB construction workers are busy in full swing, and the installation of the 4 water turbines is proceeding in an orderly manner. Zhu Zehao, deputy project manager, is arranging the hoisting work of the rotor of the No. 2 generator set. He carefully confirmed the preparations with each team one by one. The mechanical and electrical installation is at a critical stage, and every step is crucial. Everyone must focus on their own work. Winter is the dry season of local rivers, and it is also the window period for project construction. The tasks around the Spring Festival are the heaviest. We only have two half-day holidays in the afternoon of New Year's Eve and the morning of the first day of the new year.

With the signal, the gantry crane hoist across the roof of the main workshop began to work. The rotor weighing 366.7 tons lifted off steadily, and then began to translate in the air. The rotor is the heart of the hydroelectric generator. The equipment is heavy in tonnage and the installation tolerance is small. The hoisting work has high technical requirements for the operators. As the gantry crane was precisely aligned with the central axis of the generator set, the rotor slowly descended from mid-air and landed at the predetermined position of the second unit.

According to Zhu Zehao, the operators have rich experience. Xiao Hongping, a gantry crane operator, will be 49 years old in 2023 and has been working in Pakistan for 3 years. When I first came here, I was responsible for the hoisting of various large parts in the main workshop by myself, and the workload was not small. Xiao Hongping said that later, she brought out several Pakistani apprentices. They are diligent and studious, get started quickly, and help me share a lot of work.

Zhu Zehao, deputy project manager of Sujijinali Hydropower Station, arranged the hoisting work of the rotor of the No. 2 generator set at the construction site of the main powerhouse

At present, the electromechanical installation work has entered a critical period, and Xiao Hongping's master and apprentice have cooperated more tacitly. Persistence is victory. In 2023, hurry up and advance the construction period, and strive to go home for the New Year in 2024. Xiao Hongping is full of expectations.

After the electrical engineer Zhao Peng and his colleagues confirmed that all the tests on the rotor were correct, the hoisting of the rotor of Unit 2 was successfully completed. Both Zhao Peng and his new wife Yang Bing worked on the project. Zhao Peng said that when he came to a foreign country and worked on a hydropower station project in the mountains, the conditions were difficult, but the husband and wife worked side by side, and their hearts were warm. We help each other, make progress together, strive for the early completion of the project construction, and contribute to the improvement of local people's livelihood. No matter how hard it is, it is worth it.

Long friendship between Chinese and Pakistani employees

Xiao Hongping completed the key operation and stepped off the gantry crane. The Pakistani students who were watching from the sidelines immediately gathered around to ask for advice, and translated Kashan to assist in the exchange. Kashan has studied in China for 4 years and has a high degree of education and strong language skills. Kashan said frankly that when he first came to the project, it was the very difficult stage of civil construction and tunnel excavation, and he had the idea of giving up. I feel admiration and shame at the same time when I see Chinese engineers always setting an example, defying hardships and working hard. Kashan said that inspired by his brave Chinese friends, he decided to work hard on the project and study professional technical vocabulary in his spare time. Over the past two years, Kashan's Chinese has improved rapidly and he has made many friends.

Happy Spring Festival! When passing by us, the quality inspector Sajad took the initiative to send blessings to everyone in Chinese. Kashan said that a few days ago, Sajjad pestered him to learn two Chinese sentences, namely Happy Chinese New Year and Happy Year of the Rabbit.

The Spring Festival is one of the most important traditional festivals in China. During the Spring Festival, everyone will send good wishes to each other. Working with Chinese colleagues all year round, Sajad has a better understanding of Chinese Spring Festival culture. Sajad is a local, lively and cheerful, and meticulous in his work. After working on the project for 4 years, his business ability has been greatly improved. When the project is completed and the power supply is more secure, I plan to buy an induction cooker and invite my Chinese friends to eat hot pot at home. "Sajad ate and lived with his Chinese colleagues on the project, and fell in love with Chinese food.

During the construction of the project, the Sujijinari Hydropower Station recruited more than 5,000 Pakistani employees. The Chinese and Pakistani employees shared joys and sorrows to ensure the smooth progress of the project. Many Pakistani employees learned by doing, mastered new knowledge and skills, and grew into engineering and management talents in charge of the project.

happy hour more memorable

Walking into the gymnasium, Kashan and his Pakistani colleagues gathered around the table, admiring Chinese friends writing Spring Festival couplets. An employee handed him a pair of Spring Festival couplets that had just been written. Kashan smiled and waved his hands away, pointing to the table, indicating that he wanted to write a pair. I saw him pick up a brush and write down stroke by stroke the two words "Heshun's family has Baifu" and "Ping'an" are worth thousands of gold. Xiao Hongping explained the meaning of the Spring Festival couplets to Kashan. Kashan picked up the Spring Festival couplets and dried them carefully, and handed them to Xiao Hongping with both hands as a souvenir. Yang Bing and several colleagues set up the hoop game together. She handed Zhao Peng a few rings and whispered a few words. Zhao Peng aimed at a set of sewing kits for mending clothes, threw a circle, and successfully got the prize that his wife wanted.

Zhu Zehao, Sajad and many employees gathered on the sidelines of the basketball court, ready to start a wonderful basketball game. The red team No. 7 was a player in the Chinese University Basketball League before. "The overall level of the blue team is higher, and it is difficult to prevent Tarek's breakthrough. Amidst the heated discussions, the game started and the scores rose alternately. Although snowflakes fell again outside the gymnasium, the atmosphere inside the gymnasium was warm and everyone had an unforgettable happy time. Editor/He Yuting