ATTOCK, Aug 12: All arrangements to inaugurate the first 290MW power unit of the Ghazi Barotha Hydropower Project (GBHP) on August 19 have been finalized, General Manager of the GBHP Brig Zareen Khan told Dawn.

He said President Pervez Musharraf and Prime minister Zafarullah Jamali would be invited to inaugurate the GBHP, is the first major hydropower project since the commissioning of the Tarbela Dam in 1976.

The remaining four power units of same specification would be added after every three months and within a year the GBHP will be contributing 1,450MW electricity, he added.

GBHP’s annual average energy output is estimated at 6,600GW, which is about 10 per cent of the total 60,000GW power generation of the country. An important factor of the GBHP is its economically viable rate of paisa 60 per unit, which would not only boost the financial position of Wapda but also give relief to the consumers.