LAHORE: Wapda has devised a two-pronged strategy for the optimal utilization of hydropower resources.
“The authority is not only initiating new hydropower projects but also rehabilitating and upgrading its existing hydel power stations to maximize the ratio of environment-friendly and low-cost hydel electricity in the national grid,” Wapda chairman retired Lt-Gen Muzammil Hussain said during his visit to Mangla Dam.
He said the Rs52.224 billion Mangla refurbishment project according to PC-1 was being implemented with fast pace which would enhance the generation capacity of the existing Mangla hydel power station from 1,000MW to 1310MW after its completion.
The chairman directed the officers concerned to complete the project within the stipulated time period.
The chairman had a detailed round of the main dam, spillways and the hydel power station.
He also visited Khaliqabad in the suburban area of Mirpur to view the reservoir rim where project authorities carried out the rehabilitation work to strengthen it.
Mr Hussain said the Mangla Dam had been playing a pivotal role in the socio-economic development of the country by releasing stored water for agriculture, mitigating floods and providing low-cost hydel electricity to the national grid.
He expressed satisfaction over the exemplary implementation of the Mangla Watershed Management Project to reduce sedimentation flowing into Mangla reservoir, which significantly increased its life.
Earlier in a briefing, the chairman was informed that after the completion of the Mangla Dam Raising Project in 2011, the dam was now the largest water reservoir of the country with live storage capacity of 7.48 million acre feet (MAF).
He was also told that the Mangla refurbishment project would be implemented in phases, wherein the generating units of Mangla hydel power station would be refurbished by closing down one tunnel (two generating units) at a time.
Initially, two units will be refurbished by December 2018, the next two by December 2019 and the other two by December 2020.
Refurbishment of all the 10 generating units will be completed by 2024.
Published in Dawn, December 30th, 2016
