李卉嬪
7月末的巴基斯坦進(jìn)入了雨季。清晨,位于旁遮普省的卡洛特水電站項目營地上空黑云壓頂,暴雨如注。即使是這樣惡劣的天氣,水電站建設(shè)現(xiàn)場仍然是一片繁忙的景象。主廠房正處在緊張的施工階段,中國水利水電第七工程局有限公司(以下簡稱“水電七局”)巴基斯坦卡洛特水電站項目部的工人們搭起雨篷,正在緊張地澆筑混凝土。澆灌車轟隆作響,工程車輛往來穿梭。從廠房交通隧洞進(jìn)到內(nèi)部,一個直徑十?dāng)?shù)米的巨大圓環(huán)格外引人注目,這是未來發(fā)電的核心組件之一——水輪機(jī)蝸殼座環(huán),它的成功安裝也是發(fā)電站機(jī)電部分開始安裝的重要標(biāo)志。
吉拉姆河流經(jīng)卡洛特橋上游的拐角處,廠房就建在這里一座被挖開山體100多米深的地方,從高空俯瞰,壩址所在處為吉拉姆河“幾”字形河灣的頭部位置,是建設(shè)水電站的黃金位置,能極大地縮減成本、降低施工難度。旁遮普(Punjab)意為“5條河”,而吉拉姆河是5河中最長的河流,混著泥沙的土黃色河水奔涌不息,從兩條山脈間穿越而過,見證了水電七局人在這里奮斗的1000多個日日夜夜。
卡洛特水電站由三峽集團(tuán)投資建設(shè),總投資17.4億美元,總裝機(jī)容量720兆瓦,年發(fā)電量32.1億度,投產(chǎn)后將滿足300萬人的用電需求,是中巴經(jīng)濟(jì)走廊框架下投資建設(shè)的首個水電站項目,也是巴基斯坦首個完全使用中國技術(shù)和中國標(biāo)準(zhǔn)建設(shè)的水電投資項目。這個經(jīng)過了7年反復(fù)調(diào)研、勘察的水電站,于2015年12月奠基宣布正式開工建設(shè),計劃2021年3月實現(xiàn)并網(wǎng)發(fā)電。作為項目參建方之一,水電七局主要負(fù)責(zé)導(dǎo)流洞和廠房的建設(shè)。
在廠房建設(shè)現(xiàn)場,記者見到了水電七局卡洛特水電站項目部副總工程師何洲海,“剛來時,這里全是山脈,我們挖了300多萬土方出來,才形成現(xiàn)在的主廠房所在地?!焙沃藓;貞浀溃?月-9月是巴基斯坦的雨季,那時幾乎天天下雨,道路被雨水泥濘阻斷,開挖車輛無法到達(dá)施工點,工程進(jìn)展尤為緩慢。而4月-6月是巴基斯坦最熱的季節(jié),氣溫高達(dá)50攝氏度,現(xiàn)場作業(yè)是個巨大的考驗。
而對水電七局人來說,困難還遠(yuǎn)不止這些。要在一個以歐美標(biāo)準(zhǔn)為主的國家建成第一個中國標(biāo)準(zhǔn)的水電站,在當(dāng)?shù)卣业綕M足中國標(biāo)準(zhǔn)要求的高質(zhì)量材料就不是那么簡單。
“我們用了一年多時間,才在當(dāng)?shù)卣业侥転槲覀兩a(chǎn)中國標(biāo)準(zhǔn)材料的廠家?!焙沃藓8嬖V記者,開始,在發(fā)現(xiàn)本地材料不符合建設(shè)標(biāo)準(zhǔn)時,他們考慮從國內(nèi)采購材料,但因征收關(guān)稅后,價格要比國內(nèi)翻一番,這將遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)超出合同預(yù)算。不僅如此,當(dāng)?shù)厝藭r間觀念薄弱,辦事拖拉,供貨常常被拖延,加之當(dāng)?shù)毓と肆鲃有源?、隨意性強(qiáng),這對當(dāng)?shù)貑T工占70%以上、土方開挖階段甚至高達(dá)90%以上的項目來說,無疑是一個很大的挑戰(zhàn)。
作業(yè)隊隊長黃忠也表示,在海外做工程從來不是一件容易的事,回想上一個項目——高摩贊水電站,他感覺自己簡直在生死邊緣走了一遭,至今想來還后怕不已。高摩贊位于臨近巴基斯坦與阿富汗邊界,因被綁架的兩名中國工程師犧牲了一名后被迫中斷了兩年,即使后來巴方派了邊防軍保護(hù),也有幾名當(dāng)?shù)貑T工曾被綁架過。他回憶說,當(dāng)時甚至有一枚炮彈在他們的休息營地炸開。
為保證卡洛特水電站項目按照計劃進(jìn)行,水電七局的工程師們不斷優(yōu)化調(diào)整施工方案,加強(qiáng)與巴方員工的溝通交流,項目建設(shè)逐漸走向正軌。項目部經(jīng)理助理兼工程管理部主任任志民告訴記者,與國內(nèi)干工程不同的是,這里的項目設(shè)計方案隨時可能因為施工環(huán)境的變化而作出調(diào)整,施工方必須與設(shè)計方一直保持密切溝通協(xié)調(diào),減少圖紙修改和再審批環(huán)節(jié)時間。
中國企業(yè)在海外建工程,一直堅持推行屬地化管理,大量招聘當(dāng)?shù)貑T工。中企多年的努力不僅為其建設(shè)的工程贏得了良好口碑,也為自己收獲了一大批當(dāng)?shù)氐闹覍崱胺劢z”。
在卡洛特水電站項目施工現(xiàn)場,記者就碰到了四位一直跟隨水電七局做項目的巴基斯坦本地員工。見到記者,他們都熱情地涌上來展示他們學(xué)到的中文,“閥門”“三通”“曉得了吧”“拿過來嘛”……有的甚至說著四川方言。盡管沒有經(jīng)過專門的漢語培訓(xùn),會說的英語也十分有限,但長時間與中國工程師打交道的他們,以漢語+英語+烏爾都語(巴基斯坦國語)的神奇語言組合,居然也與中國工程師自如交流、默契合作。
據(jù)水電七局工作人員透露,他們都是水電七局在巴基斯坦第一個水電站——高摩贊水電站項目的員工,這一跟就是10年以上,有的甚至長達(dá)17年。有人給記者展示了他的工號,81號,在編號已到6000多號的當(dāng)?shù)貑T工中,排名非??壳啊K麄儞屩浾哒f,中國工程師的耐心指導(dǎo)、體貼包容讓他們十分感動,宰牲節(jié)時還會自掏腰包給他們買羊過節(jié),這些都讓他們愿意盡心盡力地完成工作,不負(fù)“老師”的期待和重托。而他們的努力也得到了豐厚回報,現(xiàn)在每個月能拿到近4萬盧比的工資,這幾乎是當(dāng)?shù)仄胀üと斯べY收入的兩倍。
曾在高摩贊水電站干了7年的作業(yè)隊隊長黃忠也透露,跟隨他一起從高摩贊來到卡洛特的巴方員工共有300多人,長期相處結(jié)下的友誼,讓他們更了解彼此,不需要長時間磨合,就能很好地配合工作。
除了這些普通雇員,當(dāng)?shù)馗呒壒蛦T愿意跟隨同一家中國企業(yè)的也不少。阿姆加德(Amjad)是水電七局卡洛特水電站項目部的人事經(jīng)理,第一次與中國人合作就是在中國水電公司加納的項目,這一次經(jīng)朋友介紹來到水電七局在巴基斯坦的水電站項目,他感慨良多。他表示,只要是水電七局的項目,他都希望能繼續(xù)跟著干下去。
工作優(yōu)秀的他年年被卡洛特項目部評為優(yōu)秀員工,2017年、2018年還連續(xù)兩年被水電七局總部評為優(yōu)秀員工。今年2月,阿姆加德受邀到成都參加活動,遺憾的是此次成都之行卻因其父親突然去世臨時取消。與中國企業(yè)、中國人共事6年的經(jīng)歷,讓阿姆加德對中國人的工作作風(fēng)尤為敬佩?!爸袊斯ぷ髑趭^努力,目標(biāo)明確,制定計劃后嚴(yán)格遵循,很值得我們學(xué)習(xí),我非常樂意有這樣一群工作伙伴?!彼M袡C(jī)會到中國去生活,學(xué)習(xí)中文和中華文化,更深入地了解中國人的生活?!拔矣?9年的人力資源工作經(jīng)驗,如果我再學(xué)會中文,這將更有助于我在中國企業(yè)的工作?!卑⒛芳拥聺M懷希望地說道。
巴基斯坦夏季炎熱難耐,在沒有空調(diào)的房間里,仿佛置身于一個大蒸籠中,窒息難受,晚上更是熱得無法入睡。
電力供應(yīng)不足,停電在巴基斯坦是家常便飯。官方數(shù)據(jù)顯示,2018年巴基斯坦全國日均電力缺口為400萬度,夏季用電高峰時期日均電力缺口高達(dá)750萬度。加之電價高昂、電壓不足等因素,耗電高的空調(diào)在這里尚屬奢侈品。
“我家如果每個房間都裝上空調(diào),每個月電費就得近4萬盧比,這相當(dāng)于我半個月的工資?!卑⒛芳拥绿崞痣娰M一臉肉疼,作為高級雇員的他,妻子是一名老師,夫妻二人的總收入加在一起,在巴基斯坦也算是中產(chǎn)了,提起用空調(diào)的電費支出也是一臉無奈,更別說普通家庭了。他迫切希望能有更多電站建成,電價就能便宜些,夏天也就不會那么難熬了。
近年來,尤其是中巴經(jīng)濟(jì)走廊建設(shè)開始以后,在中國的幫助下,很多電站項目已完成建設(shè)并網(wǎng)發(fā)電,正在逐步彌補(bǔ)巴基斯坦的電力供應(yīng)缺口。巴基斯坦水電發(fā)展署(WAPDA)統(tǒng)計顯示,中國在“一帶一路”沿線投資建設(shè)的前10大發(fā)電站項目,有8個在巴基斯坦。而中巴經(jīng)濟(jì)走廊規(guī)劃中優(yōu)先實施的電站項目共計12334兆瓦,總投資額高達(dá)250億美元。
1320兆瓦卡西姆燃煤電站、1320兆瓦薩希瓦爾燃煤電站、969兆瓦尼魯姆·杰魯姆水電站、1410兆瓦塔貝拉電站擴(kuò)建工程等項目先后于2017年、2018年實現(xiàn)并網(wǎng)發(fā)電,巴基斯坦全境電力短缺情況得到了極大緩解。2018年4月,卡西姆電站順利進(jìn)入商業(yè)運行,截至2018年底累積發(fā)電超過75億度,其發(fā)電量相當(dāng)于巴基斯坦目前全國發(fā)電量的10%, 今后每年發(fā)電量將達(dá)90億度,滿足巴基斯坦400萬戶家庭,超過2000萬人的用電需求。薩希瓦爾電站投產(chǎn)后一直維持高負(fù)荷穩(wěn)定運營,填補(bǔ)了巴基斯坦四分之一的用電缺口。
據(jù)當(dāng)?shù)厝私榻B,伊斯蘭堡、拉合爾等主要城市2017年前平均每天每隔3小時就要停電一小時,有的城市甚至全天有一半以上時間都處于停電狀態(tài),現(xiàn)在拉合爾等主要城市除了每周例行的電力檢修要停電一次外,基本都不再停電。
更多的電站項目正在建設(shè)或規(guī)劃中,包括1320兆瓦塔爾Oracle坑口燃煤電站、1100兆瓦科哈拉水電站、873兆瓦蘇基克納里水電站等等。就像巴基斯坦總理伊姆蘭·汗所說,巴基斯坦計劃將在10年內(nèi)大幅減少對進(jìn)口能源燃料的依賴,充分利用中巴經(jīng)濟(jì)走廊建設(shè)的水電、可再生能源、煤電等能源項目來減少能源缺口。
未來可期,隨著一大批電站并網(wǎng)發(fā)電,巴基斯坦將徹底告別電力短缺及停電苦惱,空調(diào)將成為人民生活中的必備品和常用品,自在享受清涼一夏。
At the end of July, Pakistan entered into the rainy season. In the early morning, the resident of Karot Hydroelectric Power Station Project in Punjab Province witnessed a storm of rain falling from thick dark clouds. Despite such bad weather, the construction site still presented a scenario of furious productivity. The main plant was under intense construction, where workers of Karot Hydroelectric Power Station Project from Sinohydro Bureau 7 Co. Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as Sinohydro Bureau 7) were busy with concrete placement after putting up awnings. As the concrete-mobiles were clattering, the construction vehicles crisscrossed at the site. As we walked from the traffic tunnel to the inside of the plant, a huge ring with a diameter of ten-plus meters was particularly eye-catching, which was one of the core components of future power generation--the stay ring and spiral casing of hydraulic turbine. Its successful installation is also an important symbol for the installation of the electromechanical part of the power station.
The Jehlum River passes through the corner of the upper reaches of the Karot Bridge, where the plants were built more than 100 meters deep in a mountain that had been excavated. If we look down from high altitudes, the dam site is located at the top of the “Ω”shaped Jehlum river, which is the golden position for the construction of the hydroelectric power station, thus greatly reducing the costs and the construction difficulties. The word Punjab refers to “five rivers”, of which the Jehlum River is the longest river. The turbid river mixed with mud rushed through the mountains and witnessed the 1,000 plus days and nights that the workers of Sinohydro Bureau 7 have spent here.
The Karot Hydroelectric power Station is invested and constructed by the Three Gorges Corporation with a total investment of USD 1.74 billion, which has a total installed capacity of 720 megawatts and generates 3.21 billion kWh of electricity every year. Once the project is put into operation, it will meet the electricity demand of 3 million people. It is the first hydroelectric power station project invested under the framework of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, as well as the first hydroelectric power investment project in Pakistan that uses Chinese technologies and Chinese standards. This hydroelectric power project, which had been repeatedly investigated and surveyed for 7 years, broke ground and started construction officially in December 2015. It was originally planned to realize grid-connected power generation in March 2021. As one of the project participants, the Sinohydro Bureau 7 is mainly responsible for the construction of diversion tunnels and factories.
At the construction site of the plant, the reporter saw He Zhouhai, deputy chief engineer of the Karot Hydroelectric Power Station Project from Sinohydro Bureau 7 Co. Ltd. “When we first arrived, it was all mountain ranges here. We dug more than 3 million cubic meters of earthwork before forming the current main plant location”. He Zhouhai recalled that it was the rainy season in Pakistan from July to September when it rained almost every day. The road would be blocked by rain cement, so the excavation vehicles could not reach the construction site, making it extremely hard for the project to make progress. April-June was the hottest season in Pakistan, with temperatures as high as 50 degrees Celsius when fieldwork became a huge test.
For the workers of Sinohydro Bureau 7, the difficulties were far more than that. To build the first hydroelectric power station with the first Chinese standards in a country dominated by European and American standards, it is not so easy to find highquality materials that meet the requirement of the Chinese standards in the local area.
“It took us more than a year to find a local manufacturer that could produce the materials with Chinese standard for us.” He Zhouhai told reporters that at the beginning, when they found that local materials failed to meet the construction standards, they considered purchasing materials from China. But the price would be doubled that of China due to the tariffs, which would far exceed the contract budget. In addition, the local people’s time concept was so weak that delay in handling matters led to delay in providing supply, compounded by highly mobile local workers who often did things arbitrarily. It was undoubtedly a big challenge for such a project where local employees made up 70% of the total workers and even more than 90% in the earthwork excavation.
Huang Zhong, the leader of the operation team, also said that it was never an easy task to do engineering abroad. When he recalled the last project, Gomal Zam Hydroelectric Power Station, he still felt that he had just walked on the edge of life and death with a panic fear. Gomal Zam is located near the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan. The project was interrupted for two years as two Chinese engineers were kidnapped and one of them was killed. Even after the Pakistani side sent border guards to protect them, several local employees were once kidnapped. He recalled that there was even a shell that exploded in their rest camp at that time.
In order to ensure that the Karot Hydropower Project could be carried out according to the plan, the engineers of Sinohydro Bureau 7 kept optimizing and adjusting the construction plans and strengthening communication with the Pakistani employees, placing the project construction on the right track. Ren Zhimin, Assistant Manager of the Project Department and Director of the Engineering Management Department, told the reporter that the project design plan here might be adjusted at any time due to changes in the construction environment, which was different from the domestic projects. The construction party must maintain close communication and coordination with the design side in order to reduce the time for modification and reapproval of drawings.
In overseas projects, Chinese enterprises have been implementing localized management by recruiting a large number of local employees. Chinese enterprises have made great efforts these years, winning not only a good reputation for the construction of the project, but also a large number of local loyal “fans” for themselves.
At the construction site of the Karot Hydroelectric power Project, the reporter encountered four local Pakistani employees who had been working with Sinohydro Bureau 7. Seeing the reporter, they all enthusiastically came up to show the Chinese they learned, such as “valve”, “three-way valve”, “got it?”, “hand it to me”. Some of them even spoke Sichuan dialect. Without special Chinese training, they could speak only a limited amount of English. It was surprising that they managed to communicate and cooperate with Chinese engineers with a magic combination of Chinese, English and Urdu (the national language of Pakistan).
According to the staff from Sinohydro Bureau 7, they have been working for more than 10 years, and some even for as long as 17 years in the Gomal Zam Hydroelectric Power Project, the first hydroelectric power station in Pakistan. One of them showed the reporter his job number, No. 81, a quite early number among the 6,000 local employees. They told the reporter with eagerness that they were really touched by the patient guidance and thoughtfulness of Chinese engineers, who also bought sheep out of their own pocket for the feast of the Eid Adha(a religious festival). All that made them willing to do their best to fulfill the work and live up to the expectations and great trust of the “teachers”. Their efforts have also paid off handsomely, because now they can earn nearly 40,000 Pakistani rupees a month, which is almost twice the wage of an ordinary local worker.
Huang Zhong, the leader of the operation team who had worked at the Gomal Zam Hydroelectric Power Station for seven years, also revealed that there were more than 300 employees who had been working with them from Gomal Zam to Karot. They didn’t need a long time to warm up to each other before working well together as they knew each other better after long-term relationship and friendship.
Apart from these employees at lower level, there were quite a few local senior employees who were willing to follow the same Chinese company. Amjad was the HR manager of the Karot Hydroelectric Power Station Project of Sinohydro, who made his first cooperation with Chinese in a Ghana project in the charge of Sinohydro. This time when he joined the hydroelectric power project in Pakistan to work with Sinohydro Bureau 7 Co. Ltd. after a friend’s introduction, he was deeply moved. He said that he hoped to follow the project as long as it was a project of Sinohydro Bureau 7 Co. Ltd.
He had been chosen as one of the best employees by the Karot Project Department every year for his excellent work. What’s more, he was also prized as one of the best employees by the headquarters of Sinohydro Bureau 7 Co. Ltd. for two consecutive years in 2017 and 2018. In this February, Amjad was invited to participate in the event in Chengdu, but unfortunately the trip was temporarily canceled due to the sudden death of his father. Having been working with Chinese companies and workers, Amjad was particularly impressed by the Chinese work style. “The Chinese work hard with a clear goal. They stick to their plans once they are formulated, which is worth learning. I am very happy to have such a group of working partners.” He hoped to have the opportunity to live in China and learn Chinese language and cultures, thus gaining a better understanding of Chinese people’s life. “As I am equipped with 19 years of HR work experience, it will be beneficial for my work in Chinese companies if I have a good command of Chinese.” said Amjad hopefully.
In summer, it is unbearably hot in Pakistan. It feels like to be in a big steamer in a room without air conditioning. Suffocated and uncomfortable, it’s too hot for people to sleep at night.
Blackouts are a normal state in Pakistan due to insufficient power supply. According to the official data, the average daily power shortage in Pakistan reached 4 million KWH in 2018, and it even reached 7.5 million KWH when there’s a surge in electricity demand in summer. Apart from that, the high electricity prices, insufficient voltage and other factors all made air-conditioners a luxury here.
“If every room in my house were air-conditioned, the monthly electricity bill would reach nearly 40,000 Pakistani rupees, which is equivalent to half of my monthly salary.” Amjad begrudged the money spent on electricity. He was a senior employee himself and his wife was a teacher. Their combined income made them middle class in Pakistan. Even they could not afford to pay for the electricity bill, not to mention ordinary families. He was eager to see more power stations built so that electricity prices can be cheaper, and it wouldn’t be so hard to bear in summer.
In recent years, especially after the construction of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor began, thanks to the help of China, many power station projects have been completed and connected to the grid to generate electricity, which has gradually filled the power supply gap in Pakistan. Statistics from the Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) showed that eight of the top 10 power station projects are in Pakistan, which are invested by China along the Belt and Road. The power station projects, which will be implemented as the priority of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, are expected to generate 12,340MW with a total investment of USD 25 billion.
Projects such as 1,320MW of the Qasim Coalfired Power Plant, 1,320MW of the Sahiwal Coalfired Power Station, 969MW of the Neelun-Jhelum Hydroelectric Power Station, as well as the expansion of 1,410MW of the Tarbela Power Station were completed and connected to the grid in 2017 and 2018, which greatly alleviated the power shortage in Pakistan. In April 2018, the Qasim Power Plant was put into commercial operation, which had generated more than 7.5 billion KWH of electricity, equivalent to 10% of the current national electricity generation in Pakistan by the end of 2018. In the future, the annual power generation will reach 9 billion kWh, meeting the needs of more than 20 million people and 4 million households in Pakistan. Since the Sahiwal Coal-fired Power Station was put into operation, it has maintained a high load and stable operation, resolving a quarter of the electricity shortage in Pakistan.
According to the local people, some major cities such as Islamabad and Lahore would have a one-hour blackout every three hours each day, and the power was cut off even for more than half of the day in some cities before 2017. At present, there is no power failure in the major cities such as Lahore except for the sake of the weekly power maintenance.
More power station projects are under construction or planning, including 1,320MW of the Tar Oracle Coal-pit Mouth Power Plants, 1,100MW of the Kohala Hydroelectric Power Station, and 873MW of the Suki Kinari Hydroelectric Power Station. As Imran Khan, Prime Minister of Pakistan had said, Pakistan planned to significantly reduce its dependence on imported energy fuels within 10 years by making full use of energy projects such as hydropower, renewable energy as well as coal and electricity built by the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, thus reducing its energy gaps.
In the future, Pakistan will completely bid farewell to power shortage and power failure with a large number of power stations connected to the grid for power generation. Air conditioners will become a must-have and common item in people’s lives, which allows them to enjoy a cooler summer.