China Daily Global Edition (USA)
Friendship and prosperity with Africa grow thanks to PowerChina’s hydropower projects
PowerChina, the construction company behind the Gouina hydropower station in Mali, West Africa, has made significant contributions to economic and social development in the country.
As a large-scale infrastructure project in regions involved in the Belt and Road Initiative, the Gouina hydroelectric plant features a 1,230meter-long dam and three axialflow hydro generator units, with total investment of $437 million.
It is one of the largest construction projects built by Chinese companies in Mali in terms of investment, as well as size, according to PowerChina.
After four years of construction, the project’s civil works finished and the dam began storing water in July. It is expected to be fully completed by December, said a representative from PowerChina.
Lamine Seydou Traore, the minister of mines, energy and water of Mali, said once the station begins operation, the country’s power supplies will rise by 20 to 25 percent.
The plant will be connected to the Manantali and Felou hydropower stations in Mali, forming a stable and broad power network for the region.
This will not only alleviate electricity shortages in Mali, but transmit power to neighboring Senegal and Mauritania, further improving people’s wellbeing and enhancing the China-Africa friendship, PowerChina said.
PowerChina has also made efforts to fulfill social responsibilities in areas such as the environment, employment and healthcare.
During the construction process, the project has taken multiple measures to control the discharge of pollutants including sewage, exhaust emissions and solid waste.
For example, household wastewater must be tested before being released, and staff members spray water around the construction area every day to reduce dust.
In addition, a sewage sedimentation tank was built in the repair factory, and the mixing workshop had a dust-removal fog machine installed. The project assigned supervisors to inspect the construction area regularly to stop the burning of waste.
PowerChina was committed to getting the power plant project staffed locally with 16 types of jobs offered to Malians covering drivers, technicians and translators.
Since 2016, the project has created 2,500 jobs for local people. About 81 percent of the power station’s builders were Malians, said PowerChina.
The project complied with Mali’s laws and regulations on labor, paying workers’ salaries regularly and providing fringe benefits such as vacations and health insurance. In 2018, employees from Mali were given a free health check by a Chinese medical team from the capital of Bamako.
Considering the poor living conditions frequently seen in Mali, the project built a campsite with 230 brick rooms for its Malian employees. The camp was equipped with a market and an array of gym facilities to serve workers’ needs.
When purchasing construction materials, such as steel and wood, PowerChina gave priority to suppliers and producers based in Mali. This saved costs and boosted efficiency for the company, while spurring local economic growth, a representative from PowerChina said.
Last year, construction materials sourced in Mali amounted to 23.39 million yuan ($3.57 million).
To ensure people’s safety amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the project’s campsite conducted a thorough disinfection twice a day, and all employees needed to check their temperature when entering and leaving the site.
In addition, the company distributed virus-prevention products to workers frequently, including medical masks and hand sanitizer.
PowerChina said foreign projects today not only represent the constructor itself but the overall image of Chinese companies abroad.
The construction team of the Gouina hydroelectric plant has established close relationships with local governments, the Chinese embassy in Mali, and other Chinese-funded businesses to promote Chinese culture, and assist in cultural exchanges.
During religious festivals in Mali, volunteers from the project visit Muslim employees and villages where the project is located.
Meanwhile, they took part in a variety of charity activities with the aim of benefiting local residents.
These included launching an internship program for university students, sending daily necessities to a primary school and sponsoring a football game in Diamou city. The project also made a donation of 500,000 CFA francs ($897) in 2018 to help a village in Diamou build a new well.
In May 2020, when Mali prepared to construct its first makeshift hospital to tackle the pandemic, eight Chinese enterprises in the country, including PowerChina, donated 400 beds to the hospital worth about 550,000 yuan in total.
The company then received a thank-you letter from the Chinese embassy in Mali for its help to the health crisis and contribution to China-Mali relations.
PowerChina has participated in a host of infrastructure projects in Africa. It built the Nairobi-Thika highway in Kenya, as well as the Merowe hydropower station in Sudan, which includes the world’s longest river dam at 9.8 kilometers.
So far, PowerChina has set up six regional headquarters across the world, with 453 branches in 120 countries. The total value of its overseas projects under construction exceeds $100 billion.