Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) Chairman Shakil Durrani has said that detailed engineering designs of various hydropower projects with accumulative generation capacity of 25,000MW are presently at the advance stages.
Talking to PTV, he said that Wapda was also working on small dams that would generate 516MW power, adding that Wapda, in its short-term plan, had also 400 to 500MW rental power projects that would be completed during the next six months. The Wapda chairman said the project of Neelum-Jhelum Hydroelectric would be completed in seven years with a total cost of Rs 130 billion and would contribute more than five billion units of electricity annually to the national grid.
He said the project would help improve the ratio of hydel electricity in the total generation system of the country. Per unit electricity, generated by the project, would cost only Rs 1.92, which was about three times less than that of the thermal generation, he added.
He said the construction work on the 4,500MW Diamer-Basha Dam would commence in June next year, likewise, Kohala Hydropower Project (1,200 MW) and Bunji Hydropower Project (5,400 MW) were expected to start in 2010 and 2011 respectively. Durrani said the problems that emerged during the projects' implementation should be resolved at the earliest to provide swift relief to the people. The Lower House was informed that the government planned to construct five major dams to overcome electricity shortage.
The Wapda chairman appreciated the progress in the pace of work on the Mangla Dam Raising Project, and the construction of Kurram Tangi Dam, Gomal Zam Dam and the Greater Thal Canal.
He said, "We may face power shortage of 650MW by the year 2016. However, by harnessing the potential to generate 40,000 MW, this shortage could easily be overcome." He said during the last 20 years, the share of hydropower in total generation had reduced from 60 percent to 20 percent.
Wapda has been given the go-ahead to undertake detailed engineering and feasibility studies for Basha Dam and the Greater Thal Canal, as well as for Kachi Canal in Balochistan, the Chashma Right Bank Canal in NWFP, the Thal reservoir project in Punjab, and three projects in Sindh: Riverne Area Development, Thar Canal and Sehwan Barrage. He said the need to complete the projects swiftly had become more important in view of the country's increasing need for water and electricity.
In water sector, total expected allocation for 66 projects is Rs 62.019 billion in the Public Sector Development Programme for the year 2008-09. Maximum allocation has been made for these national importance projects for the construction of different major dams.
He said there were some places including Bhasha Dam, Karam Tangi, Munda Dam where from 20- 25,000MW electricity could be obtained while power could also be produced by constructing more dams at upper or lower level of Mangla and Tarbela Dams.
He expressed satisfaction over the work and said construction work on Gomal Zam Dam was running accurately and timely. "We are specially providing additional packages to the textile, industries, tube-wells and flourmills. We equitably distribute electric for all masses, "he added.
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