WAPDA has awarded contract Package XI of the Mangla Refurbishment Project for Units 9 and 10 to G.E Hydro France. The contract worth Rs.11.922 billion includes the two units’ manufacturing, supply, installation and commissioning.

The contract signing ceremony was held at WAPDA House today. General Manager (Hydel) Development WAPDA Ihsan Ullah and a representative of G.E Hydro France Abubakar signed the agreement on behalf of their organisations. Chairman WAPDA Lt Gen Sajjad Ghani (Retd), Member (Power) WAPDA Jamil Akhtar, Project Director Mangla Refurbishment Project, senior officers, representatives of the Consultants, and the Contractors were also present on the occasion

WAPDA is implementing Mangla Refurbishment Project with an approved PC-I cost of Rs.52.224 billion. The Project is being carried out in various phases, wherein the generating units are to be refurbished by closing down one tunnel (two generating units) at a time. The refurbishment works have been divided into 11 different packages. Before Package-XI was signed, as many as nine other packages had already been awarded, while works on four packages had been completed. Refurbishing the first two units was completed in 2022 while refurbishing all 10 generating units is likely to be accomplished by 2026-27.

Mangla Refurbishment Project, on its completion, will enhance the generation capacity of the existing Mangla Hydel Power Station from 1000 megawatt (MW) to 1310 MW, thus adding 310 MW additional power with an average of 1610 million units of additional energy per annum to the National Grid.

USAID is providing US $ 150 million as a grant, and AFD is providing Euro 90 million as a loan for Mangla Refurbishment Project. At the same time, the rest of the amount is being arranged by WAPDA through loans and from its own resources.