Cooperation in the renewable energy sector, such as hydropower, wind power and photovoltaic, between China and countries along the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) or third countries has significantly grown in recent years. A senior scientist suggests an EU-China partnership could benefit all involved.

“If we work together with Europe on this, we will be able to ensure that the installation of photovoltaic stations has a much lower, perhaps even positive, ecological impact,” He Jijiang He Jijiang, executive deputy director of the Institute of Energy Transition and Social Development at Tsinghua University, said in an interview with EURACTIV.

“For example, installing PV generation in Africa together would not only provide power but also jobs,” he added.

“There is already an example: we have investment in a photovoltaic power plant in Pakistan, which is as big as 300 million VAT,” He Jijiang said.

China has established 58 bilateral cooperation projects and participated in 33 multilateral cooperation projects with other countries.

This July, three Chinese electric power firms – FIEDMC, Henan Zhonghui Electric Power Engineering and Consulting Company and a subsidiary of  Power China – agreed to set up 700MW photovoltaic power project in Faisalabad, Pakistan.

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