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Tarbela 4th, 5th extension projects to add 2,820 MW to system: Abid

February 14, 2016

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Minister of State for Water and Power Chaudhry Abid Sher Ali has said Tarbela 4th and 5th extension power projects will add 2,820 MW low cost hydel electricity to the national grid system.

Talking to APP here, the minister said that both the projects would enhance the power generation capacity of Tarbela to 6,298 MW from the existing 3,478 MW. He said around 49 per cent work had so far been completed on the Tarbela 4th extension power project and it would start supply 1,410 NW to the national grid in July 2017. The minister expressed the hope that 5th extension power project would also add another 1410 MW to the system.

Regarding the 4th extension project, Abid said earlier the project was scheduled to be completed in 2018, but on the directive of the prime minister, the work was expedited and now it would be ready by June 2017.

He said the project would cost $ 929 million for which the World Bank had provided financial assistance. The WB was also ready to provide $ 796 million to Tarbela 5th extension power project, he said.

However, he was of the view that the government would also save $120 million, out of the total $929 million, and divert it to the 5th extension project for which tendering was in process. The minister said that design study of the 5th extension had already been completed at a cost of $2.9 million. “It will complete in a 39-month period once work starts on it. The project would be commissioned in March 2020,” he said.

He said 76 per cent work of Neelum-Jhelum power project had also been completed, adding that its first unit would start supplying 242 MW electricity to the national grid in July 2017. “By the end of December 2017, the remaining three units having capacity to generate 242 MW each would start supply electricity to national gird,” he said. Abid Sher Ali said that as per promise made by the PML-N during its election campaign the power shortage would be ended in the country by the March 2018.

To a question, he said the government was making sincere efforts to improve the existing transmission system, adding that groundbreaking of Matiari-Lahore transmission would be performed next month. Besides, almost 60 per cent work on Neelam-Jhelum transmission line had already been completed, he added.

He regretted that the pervious governments did not pay any attention to improve the existing power transmission system which was almost 33 per cent outdated or overloaded.

Abid said there was ‘zero’ load shedding to industrial sector and no forced power load-management in any part of the country except high loses areas. He termed the year-2015 ‘significant’ for the power sector in which the government reduced 1.5 per cent transmission and distribution losses and saved Rs 135 billion and passed on its benefit to the consumers. The minister said 3,600 MW Liquefied Natural Gas-based projects would complete in 2017 and coal power plants would also start generation by that time.