Gao Xin, worker at TBEA Xinjiang SunOasis Co.

The country’s energy supplies cannot meet demand, and power cuts disrupt every aspect of daily life, including healthcare, manufacturing and education.

They deter investors and damage the economy, taking up to $9.2 billion off the country’s annual GDP. The energy crisis fuels poverty, militancy and riots that take the form of roadblocks, strikes and attacks on the homes of energy officials and utility offices.

The Punjab is home to 55 percent of Pakistan’s population and makes a 60-percent contribution to the country’s GDP. It also consumes 68 percent of the country’s energy. Addressing the energy crisis at a provincial level, let alone a national one, is a daunting task.

Gao’s job involves project development and working on new opportunities, such as preparing tenders. The solar park will have a 1.5-gigawatt capacity.

“I came to Pakistan for a training session, to learn about developing markets and projects, but after I started working here, the company’s management wanted me to stay for longer because of my language skills,” he said. “I accepted because I can see huge potential in the energy market, and both governments are investing in this sector.”

Although Gao lives and works in Lahore, he has traveled to Islamabad, the capital, and the metropolis of Karachi, which has an estimated population of 23 million.

“I live in Defence (an upmarket neighborhood), and at first I thought many people lived in lovely, big and modern houses. But then I learned there are many more people who have bad living conditions,” he said.

“Islamabad is like a bigger version of Defence, there are very few people living in a beautiful city. I was in Karachi on the hottest day of the year, it was so humid and more than 1,000 people died there because of a heat wave. The city was beyond anything I expected.”

With Pakistan facing an energy crisis, he said TBEA is there to invest and establish power plants.

“It’s a good market for us, and a good way to improve Pakistani living conditions and aid Pakistan’s development,” Gao said. “I’m a humble person, but I’m proud to take part in such big and great projects.”