ATTOCK, May 4: The first 290 mega watt power-producing unit of Ghazi Barotha Hydropower Project (GBHP) will start functioning by the end of May.

This was stated by GBHP general manager Brig Zareen while briefing a group of journalists about the progress on the project.

The general manager said work on the first turbine had been completed and it would be operated on trial basis soon. The 500kv switch yard of the power complex has also been energized, he added.

Brig Zareen said work on control room and other operative structure was near completion. The project, which is constructed on the Indus River, would utilize water released from Tarbela Dam, he added.

The general manager said a one-year delay in the inauguration of the first power unit occurred owing to acquisition of land and the 9/11 incident after which foreign experts were relocated to safer places to avoid any untoward incident. Construction work on the power channel and barrage has also been completed, he added.

Brig Zareen said water was released in the power channel, which was the largest in the world to generate electricity, on April 9. Over 92 structures have been constructed over the channel to drain the flooded water, he added.

“The Ghazi Barrage was filled in February, 2003.”

The project, costing $2.1 billion, was launched in 1997 and per unit cost of the electricity would be 55 to 58 paisa, the general manager said. However, the authorities are not in a position to further decrease the power rate due to various factors, including over payment to the Independent Power Producers (IPPs), general sales tax, excise duty and withholding tax, he added.

He said a separate canal —Pehur Canal — had also been constructed from Tarbela Dam to Gadoon Amanzai. Now poppy crop in the area has been replaced by seasonal crops like wheat, maize, fruits, and other vegetable, he added.

Answering a question about appearance of cracks in the power channel, he said these were not structural cracks. These are minor surface cracks that are normal due to weather effects, he added.

Brig Zareen said the power channel would be fenced after completion of civil work that was in final stages. Separate passages are being constructed for cattle at each link road of the power channel, he added.