US Ambassador Richard Olson on Tuesday visited US- funded Tarbela Dam restoration project. WAPDA Chairman Raghib Abbas was also present on the occasion.
The restoration of three generators at Tarbela adds 128 megawatts of power to the national grid.
“The United States understands that Pakistan is facing an energy crisis and we are committed to doing our part,” said Olson during his visit to Tarbela. “The work completed here at Tarbela contributes enough electricity to supply two million customers, and helps provide relief to those suffering from extensive power shortages.”
WAPDA chairman praised the US support in the country’s energy sector. To increase production at Tarbela, the US Agency for International Development (USAID) provided $16.5 million to WAPDA to repair three power generation units and to train Tarbela’s staff to operate the upgraded equipment.
Relieving Pakistan’s energy crisis is a top priority for the US assistance to Pakistan. In addition to Tarbela, the United States is also funding other projects, including rehabilitation of the Mangla Dam and renovation of thermal plants in Jamshoro, Guddu and Muzaffagarh, which have already added over 650MW since October 2009.
The US government is also co-financing the completion of the Gomal Zam and Satpara dams which will add another 35 megawatts and irrigate more than 200,000 acres of land. Finally, the US is helping to replace thousands of highly inefficient agricultural and municipal water pumps throughout the country to save additional megawatts. These projects are expected to add 900MW to the national grid by the end of 2013 – enough energy to power two million households and businesses.
