Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic (Front) shakes hands with Chen Guanfu, director general of overseas business unit of the Power Construction Corporation of China (PowerChina) and chairman of PowerChina International Group Limited during a groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of Serbia's National Football Stadium in Belgrade, Serbia, on May 1, 2024. (Photo provided by PowerChina)
BEIJING, May 8 (Xinhua) -- A groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of Serbia's National Football Stadium by the Power Construction Corporation of China (PowerChina) was held recently in Belgrade, Serbia, with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, Chinese Ambassador to Serbia Li Ming, high-ranking Serbian government officials, executives of PowerChina in attendance.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic praised Chinese partners for their support of Serbia's development and looked forward to collaborating with them in accomplishing this significant project successfully.
PowerChina attaches great importance to the business development of the Serbian market, especially the construction of Serbia's National Football Stadium and trade fair buildings for the upcoming Specialised Expo 2027 Belgrade, said Chen Guanfu, director general of overseas business unit of PowerChina and chairman of PowerChina International Group Limited, adding that the company will make great efforts to steadily advance the construction and implementation of these important projects to benefit the local people and contribute to local economic and social development.
Since its entry into the Serbian market in 2012, PowerChina has implemented a total of 26 projects in Serbia with the contract value of nearly 4 billion U.S. dollars, and has become a backbone force in promoting Serbia’s infrastructure connectivity and accelerating the country’s green transformation.
In recent years, PowerChina has been deeply involved in the construction of major infrastructure projects in Serbia, such as the Belgrade Bypass project and the Belgrade Metro project.
In addition, PowerChina is committed to providing Serbia with integrated energy solutions for the entire industry chain in the fields of clean energy, environmental governance, green buildings and materials, etc.
The construction of Saraorci photovoltaic project in Serbia undertaken by PowerChina is about to be completed soon. This project marked an important milestone for the company's participation in the development of new energy in Serbia. Upon completion, the project is expected to provide over 16 million kWh of green electricity for about 2,500 local households annually and help Serbia reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 16,000 tonnes per year.
Led by the company, the 300 MW Vetrozelena onshore wind project is scheduled to start construction at the end of this year.
Over the past years, PowerChina has also striven to maximize the recruitment of local staff to increase local employment. Up to now, the company has recruited about 930 employees in Serbia, including 600 local employees.
Meanwhile, the company has endeavored to integrate with the local community and advance practice of ESG (environmental, social, and governance) concept in its projects in Serbia.
It is reported that PowerChina ranked among top 10 on the 2023 lists of the top 250 global contractors and the top 250 international contractors rankings, which were published by the renowned American magazine Engineering News-Record (ENR).
Besides, it has topped the ENR Top 150 Global Design Firms list for four consecutive years. (Edited by Yang Yifan with Xinhua Silk Road, yangyifan@xinhua.org)
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