Tarbela 5th extension work to start in July

LAHORE: The Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) will start work on 1,530MW Tarbela 5th Extension project from July 2021, as mobilisation of the contractor is being ensured in a phased manner.

In the wake of awarding the contract for civil works of the 1,530MW Tarbela 5th Extension Hydropower Project (T5) last week, WAPDA Chairman Lt Gen Muzammil Hussain (Retd) on Tuesday visited the site of the project located at Tarbela Dam to review on ground the preparedness level for mobilisation of the contractor to the site and start of construction work on the project, scheduled to be commenced in July this year.

During the visit, the WAPDA chairman had a detailed round of Tunnel N0 5, sites of the powerhouse and switchyard, and intake of the powerhouse; therein, he was briefed about mobilisation of the contractor and timelines for overall implementation of the project.

WAPDA Member (Water) Abdul Zahir Khan Durrani, Member (Power) Jamil Akhtar, Adviser Nasir Hanif, project management and representatives of the consultants were also present on the occasion.

The WAPDA chairman said T5 is yet another landmark project, being constructed by the authority under its least-cost energy generation plan to meet the increasing demand of energy in the country through indigenous clean and green hydel electricity.

The T5 is one of the 10 mega projects WAPDA is implementing to double the existing hydel generation with addition of more than 9,000MW to the national grid in just eight years from 2022 to 2028/29 in a phased manner.

The addition of this cheap electricity will help stabilise the power tariff by decreasing reliance on import of expensive fuel for thermal power generation, he added.

Underlining the importance of timely completion of the hydropower projects for the national economy, the WAPDA chairman directed T5 project management to strictly adhere to the timelines set for the completion of the project with no compromise on the stipulated standards of construction work.

T5 project is being constructed on Tunnel No 5 of Tarbela Dam with an approved PC-I of $807 million. The World Bank is providing $390 million, while the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) is providing $300 million.

Continuous monetary assistance by the international financial institutions to WAPDA for the construction of hydropower projects reflects their trust in the authority’s financial strength.

The cumulative generation capacity of T5 project stands at 1,530MW with three generating units of 510MW each. The project, scheduled to commence electricity generation by mid-2024, will provide 1.347 billion units of low-cost hydel electricity on an average/annum to the national grid.

Installed power generation capacity at Tarbela Dam will increase from 4,888MW to 6,418MW on completion of T5 project.