Until about a decade ago, the Jhimpir region in Pakistan\u2019s southern province of Sindh was a dry, barren stretch of land, inhabited by nomadic tribes. Today, it is home to hundreds of mammoth rotating blades in about two dozen wind farms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Around 90 kilometres from Karachi, Jhimpir is the heartland of Pakistan\u2019s largest \u2018wind corridor\u2019, which has the potential to produce 11,000 megawatts (MW)<\/a> of\u00a0clean energy. Among early investors was the China Three Gorges Corporation<\/a>, a Chinese state-owned power company, operating under an investment holding company,\u00a0China Three Gorges South Asia Investment Limited.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The company has funded and built three wind projects with a combined capacity of nearly 150 MW. The first of these began construction<\/a> in 2012. The latter two projects<\/a>, completed in 2018, were funded under the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC<\/a>), an integral part of Beijing\u2019s flagship multibillion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative (BRI<\/a>). In an official statement<\/a> following Pakistan\u2019s prime minister Shehbaz Sharif\u2019s visit to China on 1-2 November 2022, Sharif reaffirmed the importance of CPEC to Pakistan\u2019s development. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n For the time being, renewables represent only a small portion of Pakistan\u2019s power generation mix. Of a total of 43,775 MW, installed capacity for wind and solar represent around 4.2% (1,831 MW) and 1.4% (630 MW) respectively, according to the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority\u2019s State of Industry 2022 report<\/a>. In terms of CPEC, the November 2022 joint statement<\/a> from China and Pakistan listed oil and gas as among the \u201cpriority areas of CPEC cooperation\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But a recent shift in the direction of Chinese investment may be hugely significant for Pakistan\u2019s energy future, and the climate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n