Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Ecuadorian counterpart Rafael Correa attended the completion ceremony of the Coca Codo Sinclair (CCS) Hydro Power Station in the Ecuadorian capital of Quito on Nov 18.

The station, in El Chaco, Napo province, was built by the State-owned Power Construction Corporation of China (POWERCHINA).The inauguration marked the official start of operations for China’s largest overseas hydropower project.

At the inauguration, the two heads of state watched a video about the station and talked online with employees on site. They were also briefed on the completion and construction progress by Jorge David Glas, vice president of Ecuador, and POWERCHINA vice general manager Li Yueping.

Chinese President Xi Jinping (L) and Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa press buttons to inaugurate the Coca Codo Sinclair hydroelectric station, in Quito, Ecuador, Nov 18, 2016.

After expressing congratulations to the employees of the project, Xi said the completion of the CCS hydroelectric facility would surely effectively improve Ecuador’s disaster prevention and relief, and enhance its public infrastructure.

The two countries have a long history of friendship. Their bilateral ties have made all-around progress in recent years and have now been lifted to the level of comprehensive strategic partnership, Xi highlighted during the inauguration event.

It is high time to develop a mutually beneficial relationship and achieve win-win cooperation between China and Ecuador. China is willing to deepen cooperation and realize joint development with Ecuador to write a new chapter in the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries, Xi noted.

President Correa said it’s a “historical” day and was pleased to witness the inauguration of the largest energy project in Ecuador's history and the greatest achievement of Ecuador-China cooperation.

State leaders of both countries watch videos and exhibition on the CCS hydroelectricity facility, in Quito, Ecuador, Nov 18, 2016.

The friendship between the Chinese and Ecuadorian people has been strengthened through the project cooperation. The eight turbines will convert Ecuador into an energy exporter from an importer, and the project will enable the country to build more schools, hospitals, universities, and infrastructure facilities, he added.

More than 3,000 people, including the owners of the CCS hydroelectric station and Chinese and Ecuadorian employees in the project, as well as local officials attended the ceremony at an underground plant of the facility.

The completion of the project will meet one third of Ecuador's demand and bring the ratio of clean energy-generated electricity to 85 percent of the national’s total generation. With the help of Chinese technology, Ecuador boasts the highest ratio of clean energy in electricity generation in the world, according to Chinese ambassador to Ecuador Wang Yulin.

During a previous tour to the CCS hydroelectric facility, President Correa said the project enabled Ecuador to leave behind its history of severe power shortages and will greatly improve people’s livelihood. He thanked China on behalf of the Ecuadorian people.

The eight turbines in the station can generate 1.5 million kilowatts of energy with an annual average of 8.8 GW.

President Xi Jinping greets the POWERCHINA employees through a video call at the inauguration in Quito, Ecuador, Nov 18, 2016.

Ecuador is a mountainous country rich in hydropower resources, but due to insufficient development it suffered power shortages in the past. The grand project built by China is well known in Ecuador. Its total installed capacity will reach 1,500 MW and it can generate 8.8 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity per year. In the past, Ecuador had to buy electricity from neighboring Columbia for more than $1 billion. From April this year, Ecuador began to export electricity to Columbia and its export revenue is expected to reach $40 million in 2016. The number will exceed $200 million in the future. The project will save Ecuador about $600 million a year in imported fuel.

The project created about 8,000 jobs and it was recognized for good wages and welfare by the workers. During six years’ construction, POWERCHINA repaired roads and provided local villagers free access to its water purification facilities. In addition, the company donated computers and books to local primary schools.