Iran to Set up 1,000-MW Power Plant to Export Electricity to Pakistan: Fars News Agency

TEHRAN (FNA)- Iran is planning to set up a gas-based power plant with a power-generation capacity of 1,000-MW near the southeastern city of Zahedan to export electricity to Pakistan.

The project will serve as an additional source of imported power for Pakistan, which entered into an agreement with Iran in August 2008 to import 1,000-MW to address the power deficit of 4,000-MW in the country. As part of the recently proposed project, an Iranian firm will lay a transmission line between Iran and Pakistan before the power plant is commissioned.

The transmission line will cover a distance of 50-km on the Iranian side and 70-km on the Pakistani side. Delegates from Iran and Pakistan met earlier this month at Islamabad to explore opportunities for Iranian investment in Pakistan's power sector and to assess the progress of ongoing projects. At an earlier meeting in August 2008, Pakistan entered into a memorandum of understanding with Iran to import 100-MW of power for Gwadar Port and 1,000-MW of power for other regions in the country.

The two nations decided to expedite the laying of transmission lines for the requisite import of power to the Gwadar Port region. A transmission network for supplying 100-MW of power between Zahedan in southeast Iran and Quetta in southwest Pakistan is expected to be set up by the end of 2009.

Projects in Pakistan that are currently in need of investment include hydropower projects with an aggregate power generation capacity of 16,000-MW, requiring an investment of $26 billion by 2025. Coal-based power stations with an aggregate capacity of 6,000-MW that are scheduled to be commissioned by 2015 require an investment of $7 billion.

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Gwadar Port officially open for business: Dawn

Saleem Shahid

QUETTA: The newly constructed Gwadar Deep Sea Port formally becomes functional on Sunday with starting unloading the first ship anchored at the port that brought imported fertilizer from Qatar, Dawn reported.

The Federal Minister for Ports and Shipping, Nabil Ahmed Gabbol and Balochistan Chief Minister, Nawab Mohammad Aslam Raisani attended the ceremony held at the port starting offloading the fertilizer.

Prime Minister, Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani was also invited at the ceremony but due to his engagement he could not attended the ceremony.

Another huge ship also carrying fertilizer is also reached at the Gwadar port from Qatar on Monday while in next four months over 21 more ships would anchor at the third port of the country after Karachi and Port Qasim.

The Federal Minister for Ports and Shipping, Nabil Gabbol while speaking at the ceremony said that with making Gwadar port functional massive economic activities would be started in Gwadar as it would be prove hub of generating economic activities in the entire region.

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Gwadar to handle cement exports in future: The News

Wednesday, December 03, 2008
By our correspondent

ISLAMABAD: The government has decided to manage all cement export activities from Gawadar Port in future while some part of import of wheat and fertilizer would also be shifted on this port to enhance business activities in Balochistan besides creating job opportunities. Federal Minister for Industries and Production Mian Manzoor Ahmad Wattoo said this in a meeting with the Chief Minister Balochistan, Nawab Mohammad Aslam Khan Raeesani here on Tuesday.

They also discussed matters on various development plans initiated by Federal government especially Ministry of Industries and production in the province, says a news statement issued here. During the meeting, Industrial Minister said that Federal Government has prepared various development plans for the development of this province including supply of clean drinking water, development of precious stone industry, establishing of Export Processing Zone, facility of Utility stores and scheme of tax holidays for Gawadar Port.

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China, The World's Factory: From a Producer to a Consumer Economy: American Chronicle

Muhammad Saad Sarwar

They say that making a thing is easy, but selling it is the more difficult part. China not only makes products for the entire world but sells it too. It is no surprise that China’s economy has been growing with a double digit growth rate for the past twenty years or so and shows no sign of abating. Resultantly, China has accumulated a big pile of reserves that would reach a figure of two trillion dollars in a couple of years time. Part of this increase can be attributed to China’s pegging of its currency, the Yuan to the US dollar. United States, which is running a big deficit to its trade with China has been influencing Beijing to ease the tight peg and let its currency float according to the dictates of the market. China has so far been largely reluctant to accede to the US demands and continues to accumulate reserves. China’s huge energy and other raw materials resources demands have made China the new colonial power according to the Economist. It has been building infrastructure all across Africa and most of the world in return for the badly need raw materials to run China’s factories. The local communities in these poor countries have been benefiting from China’s dominance in the world scene as an economic power with hospitals to stadiums being built by the endowments from the People’s Republic of China. Even the stadium where the Cricket World Cup 2007 was held in the Caribbean was built with China’s help. China has a long standing friendship with Pakistan, where it has historically been part of major infrastructural and energy related initiatives. From Karakorum highway to nuclear power plants along with the collaboration in defense fields, China has been part of the major developments in Pakistan. China’s thirst for the warm waters of the Arabian sea have led it to collaborate with Pakistan for building of the Gwadar seaport which would create a corridor for Chinese goods straight from the Arabian sea to China’s frontiers. Even a railroad project through one of the highest terrains in the world is underway which would greatly speed commerce between China and Pakistan and the world, where goods from the Gwadar seaport would reach China in no time. Economists are of the view that China’s economy is in the danger of overheating. Whatever their prerogative, it is about time China looked indoors rather than outside for selling its goods. Developing a local consumer economy would not only increase the standard of living of Chinese people but it would also help China to utilize its monies more effectively for the benefit of its own people. Accumulating trillions of dollars of reserves would be to the detriment of China especially at a time when the US dollar is virtually worthless for China. The world’s factory should finally look towards alleviating the plight of its factory workers rather than sell its products to supposedly rich outsiders (US) who might not be able to pay for the products they purchase due to huge fiscal trade deficits. China should gradually move from a producer economy to a consumer economy where the average Chinese citizen is a beneficiary to the economic boom that China has enjoyed at a macro level.

Original Link: China, The World's Factory: From a Producer to a Consumer Economy: American Chronicle