WAPDA chief reviews Tarbela 4th extension

Mahmood directs authorities to closely monitor progress on programme

LAHORE: Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) Chairman Zafar Mahmood visited the 1410MW-Tarbela 4th Extension Hydropower Project to review progress of construction work on the project.

Tarebela Dam Project General Manager Iqbal Masood Siddiqi and Tarbela 4th Extension Hydropower Project Director Sohail Khan were among the representatives present on the occasion.

The chairman toured various sites of the project including power house, intake and switchyard to observe the construction being done there.

Reviewing the work, Mahmood said the project is of vital importance and will help overcome the electricity shortage in the country, hence timely completion is a must.

He directed the project authorities to closely monitor the progress on the accelerated programme and ensure that the contractors adhere to the deadlines so that the project can be completed, by June 2017, ahead of its schedule as per the prime minister’s instructions.

“Completion of the project as per accelerated programme will enable Wapda to make use of the high water flow season in 2017 for electricity generation.”

He also asked the authorities to make sure that the stipulated standards for the project are met.

Earlier, Siddiqi briefed the chairman about the progress on the project. He said the overall progress on the project is 53% while the powerhouse, generating Unit number 17,  Unit number 16 and Unit number 15 are completed 55%, 70%, 44% and 37%, respectively.

The manager assured that every effort is being made to complete the project as per the programme. He said it will help generate electricity worth $300 million.

The extension project is being constructed on tunnel number four of the Tarbela dam. It will increase the generation capacity of Tarbela Hydel Power Station from 3,478MW to 4,888MW, after installation of three units - with installed capacity of 470MW each - on tunnel number four of Tarbela Dam.

The World Bank is providing $840 million for construction of the project. On completion, Tarbela 4th Extension Hydropower Project will add about 3.84 billion units of low-cost electricity to the national grid per annum.

Annual benefits of the project have been estimated at about Rs.30.7 billion. The project will pay back its cost in just three years.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 11^th, 2016.

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