Chairman WAPDA Lt Gen Muhammad Saeed (Retd), during his visit to Mangla Hydel Power Station, was briefed that the Mangla Refurbishment Project is progressing ahead with a steady pace. As many as four power-generating units have already been refurbished and are in operation with enhanced generation capacity; another two will also come online by the end of this year, while the overall completion of the Project is scheduled for 2030.
The Chairman visited the control room, the generating units being refurbished in the turbine hall, and the intake structure to review progress on the Project. Member Power WAPDA Muhammad Arfan Miana, GM Mangla Dam Organisation, Fakhar-i-Jehan, GM Hydel Development, Ihsan Ullah, GM/PD Mangla Refurbishment Project, Ijlal Hussain, the Consultants and the Contractors were also present during the visit. Reviewing the refurbishment activities, the Chairman emphasised to the Contractors that they expedite the works to complete the Project without delay, thereby achieving the country’s energy security by reducing reliance on expensive yet environmentally harmful thermal generation.
WAPDA is implementing Mangla Refurbishment Project with an approved PC-I cost of Rs.52.224 billion. USAID has provided US$ 170 million as a grant; AFD is providing € 90 million as a loan; while the WAPDA is arranging the balance from its own resources and through loans.
Mangla Refurbishment Project is unique in that it is being implemented without shutting down the entire power station. Instead, it has been divided into several packages. Refurbishment works are being carried out by closing down one tunnel (i.e., two generating units at a time) to avoid energy loss. On completion, the Project will enhance Mangla Hydel Power Station’s installed capacity to 1310 MW from 1000 MW. Annual energy generation will also increase from 5 billion units to 6.632 billion units.
It is important to note that WAPDA has devised a two-pronged strategy to optimise the utilisation of hydropower resources in the country. It has not only initiated new hydropower projects. Still, it has also been rehabilitating and upgrading its existing hydropower stations to maximise the share of much-needed clean, green, and affordable hydropower in the National Grid. Mangla Refurbishment Project is one of the components of this strategy. Mangla Hydel Power Station has 10 units with ga eneration capacity of 100 MW each. Of these, the first four units were installed in 1967; units No. 5 and 6 in 1974; units No. 7 and 8 in 1981. Mangla Hydel Power Station attained its maximum generation capacity of 1000 MW in 1994, with the addition of units No. No 9 and 10.
