ISLAMABAD: Tarbela fourth extension hydropower project has contributed 1.471 billion units of low-cost hydroelectricity to the national grid since commissioning in March last year despite low water flows.
The Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) said the project is complete, and its annual energy generation is expected to reach 3.84 billion units during the current calendar year, “subject to availability of water”.
The 1,410 megawatts of Tarbela 4th extension hydropower project was constructed on tunnel number 4 of Tarbela dam, the world’s largest earth-filled reservoir on Indus River in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The project has three generating units, each of them having capacity of 470 megawatts. The project has been envisaged to provide 3.84 billion units of electricity on an average per annum to the grid.
Annual benefits of the project have been estimated at Rs30 billion.
“With completion of Tarbela 4th extension hydropower project, the installed capacity of Tarbela hydropower station has increased to 4,888MW from 3,478MW,” an official of Wapda said in a statement.
The official said Tarbela 4th extension was a component of least-cost energy generation plan being implemented by Wapda on priority to meet electricity requirements in the country and increase the ratio of hydroelectricity in the national grid to stabilise electricity tariff for the consumers.
Wapda said the World Bank and the International Panel of Experts (IPOE) appreciated the successful completion and effective operation of the Tarbela fourth extension hydropower project commissioned last year in a phased manner.
The IPOE and the World Bank expressed the views during a meeting with Wapda Chairman Muzammil Hussain after a four-day visit of the IPOE’s delegation to the project. Chairman IPOE Aslam Rasheed, Geological and Rock Mechanics Specialist William Moler, Construction Specialist Brain Edward Sadden, Tunneling Expert Carlos Jaramillo, World Bank Team Leader Rikard Liden, and other officials attended the meeting.
The IPOE expressed satisfaction over the functioning of various components of the project, including civil works and electro-mechanical equipments. It was noted that the project is functioning as per the designed specification.