The Pakistan Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) delivered 1,917.830 million units of hydel electricity to the national grid during June 1 to 15, registering an increase of 300.384 million units.
Official sources told APP that as many as 1,617.446 million units were supplied to the national grid during the corresponding period last year. They said that from June 1 to 15, the maximum hydel share during peak hours was 6,080 megawatts (MW).
This increased hydel contribution is the result of efficient operation and maintenance of WAPDA hydel power stations, availability of more water in the reservoirs due to better hydrological conditions and IRSA’s indent for release of water from reservoirs in view of provinces’ demand for irrigation.
The increase of about 18.57 per cent in hydel electricity generation during the first 15 days of the current month has not only helped mitigate power shortage in the country but also stabilise electricity tariff.
According to the generation data of June 2015, maximum units of hydel electricity i.e 132.938 million were delivered to the national grid on June 7, while minimum 124.765 million units were contributed on June 10.
The contribution of hydel generation by WAPDA is expected to increase in the days to come because of high water head to be available in Tarbela and Mangla reservoirs and enhanced water outflows from the dams.
It is pertinent to mention that hydel power generation capacity of WAPDA stands at about 7,000 MW – about one third of the total installed capacity in the country.
