Progress on Tarbela 5th extension reviewed

WAPDA chairman urges contractors to ensure project is completed by 2025-26

LAHORE:

The Chairman of the Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA), Engr Lt Gen Sajjad Ghani (Retd), conducted a thorough visit to the Tarbela 5th Extension Hydropower Project to review the progress of its key components. He was accompanied by a World Bank team led by Advisor Masood Ahmed and Task Team Leader Gautum Gunjan.

During the visit, several high-ranking officials were present, including the Member (Power) WAPDA, the General Manager of the Tarbela Dam Project, the Project Director of the Tarbela 5th Extension Hydropower Project, and representatives from both the consultants and the contractors involved in the project.

Following an extensive tour of various project sites, the chairman presided over a progress review meeting at the Project Office. The Project Management team provided detailed briefings to the chairman and the World Bank team on the progress achieved at seven critical sites of the project. These sites include the intake, tunnel, penstock and outlet, power house, tail race culvert, tail race canal, and switchyard. The discussion also covered resource deployment, project timelines, and the implementation plan necessary for the project’s completion. It was noted that electricity generation from the project is anticipated to commence in 2025-26.

Addressing the meeting, Ghani emphasised the importance of timely completion of the project to meet the growing energy demands in Pakistan. He urged the consultants and contractors to maximise their efforts to ensure that the project is completed by 2025-26.

The Tarbela 5th Extension Hydropower Project is being constructed on Tunnel No 5 of the Tarbela Dam, with financial assistance from the World Bank and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, amounting to $390 million and $300 million, respectively. The project has a cumulative generation capacity of 1530 MW, comprising three generating units of 510 MW each. Upon completion, the project will contribute 1.347 billion units of environment-friendly and low-cost hydropower electricity to the national grid annually.