ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has completed 45 projects under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) at a cumulative investment of $25.61 billion, according to official documents.


The completed portfolio comprises 17 energy projects, 15 transport and infrastructure projects, and 13 socio-economic development initiatives, the documents show.


Major energy projects include the 1,320-megawatt Sahiwal Coal Power Plant, completed at a cost of $1.91 billion; the 1,320MW Port Qasim Coal Power Plant, costing $1.91 billion; and the 884MW Suki Kinari Hydropower Project in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, with an investment of $1.99 billion.


In the transport and infrastructure sector, the 392-kilometre Multan-Sukkur Motorway (M-5) was completed at a cost of $2.8 billion, while the Orange Line Metro Train Project in Lahore cost $1.6 billion. The 683-kilometre Hakla-Dera Ismail Khan Motorway was completed at a cost of $683 million.


The documents also identify several CPEC projects that faced delays during 2019–2022.


The 1,733-kilometre Main Line-1 (ML-1) railway upgradation project was delayed due to the prolonged approval process for its PC-I and unresolved financing terms with the Chinese side.


The 43-kilometre Karachi Circular Railway project was stalled after its financing mechanism was shifted from government-to-government financing to a public-private partnership (PPP) arrangement.


Progress on the 210-kilometre Dera Ismail Khan-Zhob Highway was also affected by the decision to pursue domestic financing instead of Chinese financing.


In Gwadar, construction of facilities including the Pak-China Friendship Hospital and Vocational Training Institute faced setbacks due to operational restrictions imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic.


The documents state that efforts are being made to address procedural and financing hurdles and accelerate work on the remaining CPEC projects.