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Tarbela 4th extension: Power outages to fall after project completion

It will produce $300m worth of electricity during 2017 high-flow season.

Our Correspondent January 20, 2016

It will produce $300m worth of electricity during 2017 high-flow season. PHOTO: FILE

LAHORE: Pakistan Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) Chairman Zafar Mahmood has called for stepping up construction work on the 1,410-megawatt Tarbela 4th Extension Hydropower Project to complete it by June 2017 in line with the accelerated programme designed to execute the project ahead of schedule.

Expressing his views during a visit to the project site on Tuesday, Mahmood said the extension scheme was of immense importance for overcoming electricity load-shedding in the country with the addition of low-cost hydroelectric power to the national grid.

He was of the view that timely completion of the project would enable Wapda to fully utilise the high water-flow season of 2017 and therefore every effort should be made to achieve the target by removing the bottlenecks.

Mahmood asked project authorities, consultants and contractors to adhere to the timelines of the accelerated programme in addition to ensuring the stipulated construction standards. He inspected ongoing work on the power house during the visit.

Earlier, Tarbela Dam General Manager Iqbal Masood Siddiqui briefed the Wapda chairman about progress on the project, issues being faced by the project authorities and remedial measures for on-time completion of work.

Siddiqui pointed out that early completion of the project in line with the prime minister’s directives would help Wapda generate additional electricity during the 2017 high-flow season amounting to $300 million.

The Tarbela 4th Extension Hydropower Project will increase generation capacity of the Tarbela power station from 3,478MW to 4,888MW after the installation of three units - of 470MW capacity each - on tunnel four of the Tarbela Dam.

The World Bank is providing $840 million for the project, which will produce about 3.84 billion units of low-cost electricity per annum. Annual benefits of the project have been estimated at about Rs30.7 billion and it will pay back its cost in just three years.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 20^th, 2016.

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