Chairman WAPDA Engr Lt Gen Sajjad Ghani (Retd) reviewed progress on the Tarbela 5th Extension during his visit to the Project, which is being constructed at Tunnel No. 5 of Tarbela Dam in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Member Water, Member Power, Advisor Projects, Advisor Tarbela Dam, GM (Coordination & Monitoring) Water, GM Tarbela Dam, GM (Power) Tarbela, Project Directors Tarbela 4th and 5th Extension and Chief Engineer (Operation & Maintenance) Tarbela 4th Extension were also present on the occasion.
The Chairman inspected construction activities on various sites, including the raised intake, the powerhouse, and the tunnel. Representatives of the Consultants and Contractors briefed the Chairman about the progress made on each site.
After the site visit, the Chairman also presided over a meeting at the Project office. A detailed presentation was made about the key components of the Project. It was briefed that construction activities are being carried out simultaneously in all five areas, i.e. intake, penstock and outlet, powerhouse, tail race culvert and canal, and switch yard. The implementation plan, comprising important benchmarks and their timelines, was also discussed in detail during the meeting. Addressing the meeting, the Chairman said the pace of work needs to be expedited on the Project to start electricity generation in 2025-26. He directed the Contractor to deploy additional resources to meet the timelines stipulated in the implementation plan. The Chairman said that adhering to the specified standards is a must to ensure the quality of work on the Project.
Tarbela 5th Extension Hydropower Project is a component of the green, clean and least-cost energy generation plan of WAPDA. World Bank and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank are providing financial assistance to construct the Project to US$ 390 million and US$ 300 million, respectively. The generation capacity of the Project stands at 1530 MW, with three generating units of 510 MW each. The Project will provide the National Grid with 1.347 billion units of hydel electricity annually. Once the 5th Extension is completed, the installed capacity at Tarbela Dam will increase from 4888 MW to 6418 MW.
