Power Construction Corporation of China Limited (PCCCL) has been awarded a US$354.6 million contract by the Pakistan Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) for civil works of the 1530MW-Tarbela 5th Extension Hydropower Project, following an international competitive bidding process.
Tarbela 5th Extension (T5) is being constructed on Tunnel No. 5 of Tarbela Dam. The project will feature three 510MW generating units, and will increase installed capacity at Tarbela Dam to 6418MW from 4888MW once complete in mid-2024.
This week WAPDA Chairman Lt Gen Muzammil Hussain (Retd) visited Tarbela Dam to review on ground the preparedness level for mobilization of the contractor to the site and start of construction work on the project, which is scheduled to commence in July this year.
The Chairman said that T5 is yet another landmark project being constructed by WAPDA under its least-cost energy generation plan to meet increasing demand of energy in the country through green hydroelectricity. T5 is one of the 10 mega projects WAPDA is implementing to double its existing hydro generation with addition of more than 9000MW to the National Grid in just eight years from 2022 to 2028-29 in a phased manner.
