Gwadar port city development project | News and Updates

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4G services launched in Gwadar

KARACHI: One of Pakistan’s telecom network, Zong 4G, has launched its operations in the port city of Gwadar, the future international business hub which has already seen foreign and local investment amounting to billions of dollars and rupees.

The launch of 4G services in Gwadar implies that foreign citizens from across the globe and local residents who have been pursuing their respective business endeavours in the port city will have unhindered access to 4G technology against reasonably affordable tariff. The move is likely to boost online businesses in the fast developing international city and the adjoining belt of rural Sindh.

 

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The government has so far released funds amounting to Rs 1453.956 million, against total allocation of Rs 12775.670 million, for execution of 16 projects of the Ministry of Maritime Affairs (MoMA) under the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) for the year 2017-18.

According to official data, an amount of Rs 180 million has been provided for construction of Eastbay Expressway, Rs 850 million for development and construction of Port Allied structures in Mullah Band Area and Rs 146.28 million for upgradation of Gwadar Port Authority Housing complex project.

While, Rs 36 million have been released for Feasibility Study to construct Break Water under China pakistan Economic Project, Rs 25 million for Simulator (ECDIS, GMDSS, Radar-ARPA and High Voltage), Rs 15 million for Feasibility study of Petroleum/Petrochemical Terminal and Dirty Dry Bulk, Rs 15 million for Rehabilitation of auction hall of Gwadar Mini Port, Rs 11.36 million for establishment of regional offices and testing laboratories of marine fisheries department at Gawadar, , Rs 10 million for Pak-China Technical Institute at Gwadar, Rs 10 million for business Complex RO Plant (0.2 m/g/d), Rs 7.45 million for Survey to Find Population Dynamics and Management of Vertebrate Diversity of the Coastal Areas of Sindh and Balochistan, Rs 14.75 million for upgradation and accreditation of quality control laboratories of MFD for environmental contaminants, Rs 29.06 million to acquire land for setting up oil storage at Gwadar.

Whereas, the government has released 100 percent fund, amounting to Rs 29.156 million, for setting up the CPEC Support Unit (CSU) for projects and activities in the Gwadar Port Authority .

 

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Senate chairman inaugurates Gwadar desalination plant

QUETTA: At long last, practical steps have been taken to address the decades-long issue of shortage of clean water in the Gwadar port region as a Chinese company has set-up a desalination plant in the area, which will provide 254,000 gallons per day to the people.

On Tuesday, Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani inaugurated the desalination plant.

On the occasion, the Senate chairman said, “Desalination plant is a gift from the Chinese side to the people of Gwadar.”

He said that they had requested the Chinese company to increase its capacity from 254,000 gallons to 300,000 gallons.

 

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ISLAMABAD: The government has given nod to setting up of federal Special Economic Zone (SEZ) at Gwadar and instructed the relevant authorities to start finding land for procurement in a range between 10,000 to 50,000 acres.

The federal government wants to get maximum land allotted out of a total 100,000 acres reserved for the setting up of an SEZ at Gwadar.

Officials sources privy of the developments said Gwadar Development Authority (GDA) has been instructed to find available land in the above-mentioned area and efforts be made to procure maximum land for setting up of federal SEZ.

They shared that the federal government was interested in getting 50,000 acres of land but various frameworks were being deliberated to ensure that perception doesn’t come that Islamabad was trying to grab the land.



The officials added, “The government is working on different models that the sense of ownership should be given to those inherent lands at Gwadar from old generations.”

According to minutes of the second last review meeting of CPEC revealed GDA would be responsible for identifying land for setting up of federal SEZ in Gwadar and should be included in the Gwadar City Master Plan.

The GDA and Board of Investment (BoI) would hasten the identification of land for the federal SEZ to comply with directives of the cabinet in this regard.

And official sources disclosed the government was contemplating to offer landowners “for providing a piece of land on equity basis so they could get benefits of SEZs on a long-term basis in the range of next 50 to 99 years of the lease.”

 

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From Gwadar- Kashgar: Crude oil pipeline requires $10 billion investment

ISLAMABAD: The Frontier Works Organisation (FWO) and foreign investors have estimated an investment of $10 billion in laying a crude oil pipeline from Gwadar to Kashgar that will have transmission capacity of one million barrels per day.

The federal cabinet, in its recent meeting, was informed that engineering company FWO, in cooperation with private-sector foreign investors, wanted to build a crude oil pipeline from Gwadar (Pakistan) to Kashgar (China) and had requested the Petroleum Division to sign a memorandum of agreement that would assure the investors that Pakistan government would not take over the planned investment.

 

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Gwadar free zone’s industrial units to start working by yearend

KARACHI: At least 10 industrial units will start working at Gwadar port’s free zone by this yearend as the first phase of the zone has been completed, a senior Chinese official said on Tuesday.

Zhang Baozhong, chairman of China Overseas Ports Holding Company Pakistan (COPHC) said six of the industrial units are from China, while four are local and they are setting up projects related to edible and palm oil processing and automotive and services industries.

“A sum of $300 million has already been invested in the mega project, while another approximately $200 million would be spent on phase-II for which the feasibility report is already complete,” Baozhong said, speaking at the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry’s (FPCCI) event.

In January, former Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi inaugurated the first phase of Gwadar Port’s free zone that would facilitate regional and global trade under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor projects.

COPHC, the operator of Gwadar port, said more than 30 firms related to banking, fish processing and hospitality committed around $500 million of direct investments in the zone. The port was leased to the China’s state-run company for 40 years.

Baozhong said Gwadar port is operational and the customs authorities have deployed manual one-customs clearing system to process import and export consignments. The web-based one customs system could not be installed at Gwadar port due to unavailability of interconnection infrastructure.

COPHC’s chairman said the port’s berth lengths would be increased to 1,500 meters from existing 600 meters while the approaching channels would be deepened to 17-23 meters through dredging, which would enable arrival of any type and size of vessel in the world. “Business community, government, local communities and chambers of commerce are extending support in the development of Gwadar, which is a popular investment destination for investors in China as well as in Pakistan,” he added.

Baozhong said Gwadar is the most efficient port in the country offering low handling charges, no demurrage and infrastructure connecting to the rest of the country. “In five years, it will be the new economic hub in the region.”

Senior Vice Chairman FPCCI Syed Mazhar Ali said the apex trade body planned to set up a sub-office in Gwadar to serve as the information sharing platform for the business communities of China and Pakistan.

Balochistan government granted land for the development of FPCCI sub-office, while COPHC offered the body to set up a temporary office in their building in Gwadar.

 

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Desalination project of Gwadar.

 

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MS Tiger arrived in Gwadar earlier yesterday. The Chinese company CosCo started this weekly commercial service for Gwadar port with the launch of CPEC..

 

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Desalination project of Gwadar.

 

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ISLAMABAD - The main hurdle in the implementation of 300MW coal power project has been removed as the federal government has been told by Balochistan government that the process of issuance of NOCs and land acquisition for project has been expedited and the project will soon enter into implementation stage.

Gwadar coal power plant was amongst the early harvest projects under CPEC and its frame work agreement had already been signed but it was facing delay because the Balochistan government was delaying the issuance of NOCs and land acquisition, official source told The Nation.

A meeting on CPEC issues was held here at Ministry of Planning, Development & Reforms. The meeting, which was presided over by secretary planning Shoaib Siddique, was attended by Project Director CPEC Hassan Daud Butt, officials from Ministry of Energy (Power Division), government of Balochistan and government of Sindh.


The issue of 300 Gwadar coal power plant was also discussed in the meeting where the representative of Balochistan government intimated that the process of issuance of NOCs and land acquisition for 300MW coal power project has been expedited. “Completion of the process is expected shortly that would facilitate the power project to enter into implementation stage”, he informed. The issue of upfront tariff for the project was also discussed in the meeting, the official said.

It is pertinent to mention here that Private Power and Infrastructure Board (PPIB) has already issued letter of interest (LOI) to China Communications Construction Company Ltd (CCCC) for development of 300MW imported coal-fired power project at Gwadar. This project is a component of flagship China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) initiative of the governments of China and Pakistan. The company will obtain tariff approval from NEPRA and start construction after achievement of financial closing. The said project has been approved by the Joint Cooperation Committee (JCC) of CPEC and the PPIB Board for further processing

 

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We likely need a formal Industrial scale Desalination plants 2-3 Plants across Gawadar/Karachi / Sindh

About this big

 

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Security wall U/C at Gwadar Port.

development work at GFZ

GFZ

 

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Islamabad: Pakistan Post has bought an acre of land in Gwadar for an international mail office, a news source reported. This project is going to cost PKR 79 million.

According to sources, the PC-1 of the project has been prepared by Pakistan Post and the planning phase is complete for the project. PKR 40 million has been allocated for the project under Public Sector Development Program (PSDP).

Not only will the international mail office provide postal services, it will also provide logistical services. The construction will begin on the project as soon as the federal government approves it.

The acquired land is located close to Gwadar Industrial Zone and it is expected that the postal office will get good business from the industrial area

 

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According to the estimation of the study, 11 new projects in #Gwadar city to be initiated soon would produce 76000 direct jobs.

The 11 new project include development of free zone, new Gwadar International Airport, Gwadar East-Bay Expressway, dredging of berthing areas and channels, construction of breakwater, Pakistan-China friendship hospital, technical and vocational institute, Gwadar smart port city master plan, Bao steel park, petrochemicals, stainless steel and other industries in the city, development of Gwadar University, and upgradation and development of fishing, boat making and maintenance services to protect and promote livelihoods of local population.

The 16 energy projects would also produce 5,0828 jobs while nine Special Economic Zones (SEZs) to be constructed in various parts of the country would produce 1,021,396 direct jobs in the country.

The study said that among the total direct jobs to be generated, a huge chunk of share would go to Pakistani individuals, however it suggested that Pakistani individuals would need more technical training to fulfil their job requirements.

“The crux of the matter for any economy is the mismatch of skills. In which, the work force exists, the positions in the job market are vacant, but, the unemployment rate remains unaffected,” the study said adding “the expertise acquired by the workers are not consistent with the job market.

As a result, there exists a gap between the practitioners and the academics, while the students of today cannot take firm decisions for their career path.

Copyright APP (Associated Press of Pakistan), 2018.