Chinese JV contracted for Tarbela 5th Ext work

LAHORE: Pakistan on Friday awarded a $241.1 million contract for electro-mechanical (E&M) works of 1,530MW Tarbela 5th Extension Hydropower Project to a joint venture comprising Harbin Electric International Company and Harbin Electric Machinery Company (HEIC-HEMC) via international competitive bidding.

As per official statement, the signing ceremony was held here at Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) headquarters (WAPDA House). The E&M contract was signed by Tarbela 5th Extension Hydropower Project Director (PD) Muhammad Azam Joya and HEIC-HEMC Vice President Zhang Yu Long on behalf of their organisations. WAPDA Chairman Lt Gen (Retd) Muzammil Hussain, WAPDA Member Finance Naveed Asghar, Member Water Abdul Zahir Khan Durrani, Managing Director (Administration) Khalid Saleem, WAPDA Secretary Fakharuzzaman Ali Cheema, General Managers concerned, and representatives of the Consultants also attended the ceremony. It is worth mentioning that WAPDA has already awarded contract for civil works of the project in May.

Speaking on the occasion, WAPDA Chairman said that Tarbela 5th Extension was yet another WAPDA project to meet energy needs of the country with low-cost and environmentally-friendly hydel electricity, adding that WAPDA was committed to complete this vital project in accordance with the timelines.

Referring to the WAPDA’s strategy for improving water situation and increasing share of hydel electricity in the National Grid, he said that WAPDA was constructing 10 megaprojects in water and hydropower sectors to meet rapidly increasing requirements of water and electricity in the country.

These projects are scheduled to be completed from 2023 to 2028-29. In addition to enhancing gross water storage capacity by 11.7 million acre feet (MAF), WAPDA projects will also double the installed hydel power generation capacity from 9,406 MW to 20,591 MW. Likewise, WAPDA’s contribution of green and clean hydel electricity to the National Gird will also increase from the existing 37 billion units to more than 81 billion units per annum. Tarbela 5th Extension Hydropower Project is being constructed on Tunnel No. 5 of Tarbela Dam with approved PC-I of $807 million. International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) of World Bank is providing $390 million, while Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) will extend $300 million.

Cumulative generation capacity of the project stands at 1,530MW with three generating units of 510 MW each. The project, scheduled to start electricity generation by mid-2024, will provide 1.347 billion units of low-cost hydel electricity to the National Grid on the average every year. With the completion of Tarbela 5thExtension Hydropower Project, installed capacity at Tarbela Dam will rise from 4888 MW to 6418 MW.