LAHORE: Following improved hydrological conditions and availability of water, the first unit of Tarbela 4th Extension Hydropower Project has started electricity generation.

The unit, which is passing through its reliability run test these days, has been providing 335MW of electricity to the national grid, which will be gradually increased to its maximum capacity of 470MW.

“Though first unit was completed in April, it could not start electricity generation owing to non-availability of water caused by low inflows in River Indus at Tarbela in current year,” said a spokesman for the Pakistan Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda).

The second unit of Tarbela 4th Extension Hydropower Project has also been put into wet commissioning three days ago. This unit is scheduled to enter its reliability run test phase in next month’s first week, he added.

The 1,410MW Tarbela 4th Extension Project having three electric power generating units — each of them 470MW capacity — has been built at the Tunnel 4 of Tarbela Dam. The project is a component of least-cost energy generation plan being implemented by Wapda on priority to meet electricity requirements in the country and increase the ratio of hydro electricity in the National Grid to stabilise electricity tariff for the consumers.

With completion of the project, generation capacity of the existing Tarbela Hydel Power Station will increase to 4,888MW from the existing 3,478MW. The project will provide 3.84 billion units of electricity to the national grid per annum. “Annual benefits of the project have been estimated at Rs30bn. It will pay back its cost in just three years,” the spokesman said.

Published in Dawn, June 12th, 2018