As Pakistan continues to suffer from power outages, coal reserves in the country's southeast could solve the problem and help stabilize the economy. Our correspondent Danial Khan has more.

Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif was the chief guest at a ceremony in south eastern Sindh Province to celebrate the successful completion of a mega coal-fired power project in Thar Block-1, a key energy cooperation project of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, CPEC.

SHAHBAZ SHARIF Prime Minister of Pakistan "I want to thank the government of China, especially President Xi Jinping from the bottom of my heart, that despite so many difficulties and problems being faced by Pakistan, China is cooperating with us and CPEC is moving forward."

Two 660 megawatt high-parameter supercritical units of Thar Coal Block-1 Power Generation Company successfully completed a 168-hour full load reliability run test, and officially started commercial operation in February.

DANIAL KHAN Thar, Pakistan "Experts say commissioning of the project will result in significant savings of Pakistan's foreign reserves and reduce dependence on imported fuels and consequently, the price of electricity will also be greatly reduced."

The Thar Coal Block 1 power plant is the first large-scale thermal power generation project in the world independently developed, constructed and operated by Shanghai Electric.

MENG DONGHAI Chairman, Thar Coal Block-1 Power Generation Company Shanghai Electric "After this project's success, we are going to become a benchmark for further utilization of Thar coal. We do hope that after this project, later on the Thar coal can contribute more to Pakistani society."

Since the start of the TCB-1 power station project construction in 2019, the project team has had to overcome difficulties, such as the harsh natural environment of the Thar Desert, the COVID-19 pandemic, complicated security situations, and insufficient capacity of power infrastructure.

KRISHNA KUMARI Senator "I am feeling very happy and proud, I belong to Thar. This was our dream, that one day Thar will bring light to the whole country. That dream has come true."

Thanking China for its role in the initiative, Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif has said that the next phase of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor will focus on trade, agriculture, technology and special economic zones. Danial Khan, CGTN, Thar, Southeast Pakistan.