Pakistan should pursue more large-scale, technology-driven energy projects to meet rising electricity demand and sustain long-term economic growth, the Pakistan China Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry said, citing the China-backed Sahiwal coal-fired power plant as evidence of what such investment can contribute to the country's energy system. The PCJCCI described the Sahiwal coal power plant as one of the most successful flagship projects developed under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. According to the chamber, the project has made a significant contribution to Pakistan's energy security, industrial development and broader economic progress.
The organisation linked the plant's performance to a wider argument about the country's future energy requirements. It stressed that Pakistan's growing electricity demand would require additional large-scale projects capable of strengthening energy supplies while supporting economic expansion.
The chamber particularly emphasised technology-driven investment, presenting the Sahiwal facility as an example of the type of energy infrastructure it believes Pakistan should replicate. Its assessment places energy availability alongside industrial development and economic growth, arguing that the three are closely connected. The Sahiwal facility is backed by China and forms part of CPEC, the economic corridor under which the project was developed. PCJCCI's comments focused on the plant's contribution rather than providing figures on its generation capacity, electricity output, operating costs or financial performance. Nor did the chamber provide details of specific new energy projects it wants Pakistan to undertake.
Instead, its central recommendation was broader: the experience of the Sahiwal coal-fired plant demonstrates, in its view, the importance of initiating further large-scale and technologically advanced energy schemes. The chamber said such investment would help Pakistan respond to growing electricity requirements and support sustainable long-term economic expansion.
Its statement therefore presents the Sahiwal project not merely as an individual CPEC power plant but as a model for further investment in Pakistan's energy infrastructure. For PCJCCI, the case rests on the plant's contribution to energy security, industrial development and economic progress. The chamber argues that replicating large-scale, technology-driven projects could help meet future electricity demand while providing the energy foundation required for longer-term growth.