Progress on 5th Tarbela expansion reviewed

LAHORE:

The Chairman of the Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA), Engr Lt Gen Sajjad Ghani (Retd), paid 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 Consultant Masood Ahmed and Task Force Leader Gautum Gunjan.

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

After an extensive tour of various project sites, the president presided over a progress review meeting at the Project Office. The Project Management team provided detailed updates to the president and the World Bank team on the progress achieved at seven critical project sites. These locations include the inlet, tunnel, inlet and outlet, power plant, race tail culvert, race tail channel and distributor. The discussion also covered the resource development, project timelines and implementation plan necessary to complete the project. It was noted that power generation from the project is expected to start in 2025-26.

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

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