Ghazi Barotha Hydropower Project (GBHP) generated 5773.084 million electricity units equivalent to the benefits of Rs 26.84 billion during the maiden year after formal inauguration of its power house by the President General Pervez Musharraf on August 19, last year.
According to a press release issued here Wednesday, the benefits have been calculated at the rate of Rs 4.65 per electricity unit.
Interestingly, if GBHP had not been constructed and Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) had to purchase the same quantum of electricity from Independent Power Producers (IPPs), it would have had an impact of Rs 34.58 billion at an average cost of Rs 5.99 per unit at consumer's end.
GBHP, a major run-of-river and environmentally sustainable project designed to meet the acute shortage of power in the country, is based on utilisation of the head available in the Indus river between Tarbela Dam and its confluence with the Haro river.
Total cost of the project as estimated in April 2003, was US $2067.33 million against the original estimate of US $2250 million. The powerhouse of GBHP comprises five power units of 290-MW each with a total generation capacity of 1450 MW.
The first unit of GBHP started its commercial operation on August 29, 2003. Likewise, the commercial operation of second and third unit commenced on September 19 and November 19 last year, respectively. The fourth unit initiated its commercial run on January 18, 2004, they said.
The sources said that GBHP started pooling its power to the national grid up to its maximum capacity on commercial basis when its fifth and last unit became commercially operational on May 06 this year.
As per generation record, GBHP produced 198.077 million electricity units from August 19 to August 31, 2003.
According to the details, as many as 403.235 million units in September, 440.847 million units in October, 637.324 million units in November, 530.799 million units in December 2003, some 77.888 million units in January 2004, as many as 195.555 million units in February, 304.114 million units in March, 386.590 million units in April, 680.516 million units in May, 732.957 million units in June, 762.038 million units in July and 423.144 million units from August 01 to August 18 have been generated by GBHP.
It is pertinent to mention here that unlike powerhouses at Tarbela and Mangla Dam Projects, Ghazi Barotha Hydropower Project had the unique feature of generating electricity up to its maximum generation capacity of 1450 MW throughout the year, they added