Hydropower operations, maintenance: 24 engineers complete USAID training course

24 engineers successfully completed a United States Agency for International Development (USAID) two-week hydropower operations and maintenance training course and received completion certificates during a ceremony at a local hotel in Islamabad on Thursday.
The participants included engineers from the Tarbela, Ghazi Barotha, Mangla, Warsak, Chashma, and Renala Khurd power plants, and the Water and Power Development Agency (Wapda) as well as female engineers from engineering universities in Islamabad. Badar ul Munir Murtaza from Wapda, USAID Energy Office Director Dr Michael Curtis, and the Energy Policy Programme Chief of Party Jim Hicks presided over the ceremony.
"The training you have gone through complements the financial and technical support extended by the US government to support Pakistan's efforts to increase power generation, improve energy efficiency and transmission, and policy reform efforts," said Dr Curtis during his address to the participants.
Complementing USAID's recent efforts to upgrade obsolete equipment and introduce state-of-the-art technology at Gomal Zam, Satpara, Tarbela, and Mangla dams, this training programme will assist power generation companies with implementing best practices according to international standards.
The training will result in improved power plant operations and maintenance practices by providing the engineers with improved skills and as a result, improved energy services in Pakistan. As part of its energy sector assistance programme, the US government through USAID has funded renovations at Tarbela, Jamshoro, Mangla, Guddu and Muzzafargharh power plants; aided in the completion of Gomal Zam and Satpara dams and helped improve power distribution throughout Pakistan.-PR