SOEs to work more closely with continent

China's centrally administered State-owned enterprises will closely collaborate with African partners to enhance cooperation in building infrastructure and speed up efforts toward low-carbon transformation in the energy sector, the country's top State-asset regulator said.

Gou Ping, vice-chairman of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council, said central SOEs have successfully partnered with African countries in areas such as infrastructure construction over the past decade.

Addressing a forum during the third China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo, Gou said central SOEs will help African countries consolidate their development foundation to achieve green and sustainable growth.

Echoing the sentiment, Solomon Telila, minister of the embassy of Ethiopia in Beijing, said China has notable advantages in the field of new energy and is well-positioned to assist African countries in establishing various renewable energy projects, including solar power plants, wind farms and hydropower units.

These endeavors hold the potential to enhance people's lives while contributing to the continent's energy security, Telila said.

Simplex Banda, Malawi's minister of trade and industry, said the country "is prioritizing new energy and mining sectors for investment. Clean energy has gained heavy attention, as the government aims to drive energy transformation toward sustainable sources."

Power Construction Corp of China, or PowerChina, a Beijing-based central SOE, said it had put into operation the Kafue Gorge Lower Power Station in Zambia in March.

Located over the Kafue River, about 90 kilometers south of the Zambian capital Lusaka, the station is equipped with five mixed-flow generator units and has a total installed capacity of 750 megawatts.

The station will improve the country's power supply by 38 percent once it is fully operational, said Wang Xiaojun, vice-president of PowerChina.

The Kafue Gorge Lower Power Station — an iconic project under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative — is expected to play a key role in power regulation during peak electricity consumption periods, he said.

Since the first generator unit started operation, the station has generated more than 4.73 billion kilowatt-hours of power, helping to relieve power shortages in Zambia.

During construction, the project provided 15,000 jobs for local residents and drove the development of local building material businesses as well as trade, service, transportation and mining industries.

Fang Qiuchen, president of the China International Contractors Association, which helps Chinese companies secure businesses in overseas markets, said China and countries in Africa have been actively cooperating in the field of infrastructure, and have built a large number of infrastructure projects related to the national economy and people's livelihoods.

Spurred by tangible growth in the BRI, Chinese companies have signed more than $700 billion worth of contracts in Africa over the past decade, and completed projects of more than $400 billion, according to the Beijing-based association.