Prime Minister Imran Khan will perform the groundbreaking of Tarbela Dam's fifth extension project today (Thursday).

In a tweet, Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Farrukh Habib said the T5 project will cost $807 million and will be completed by 2024. He said the project will enhance Tarbela Dam's electricity generation capacity by 1,530MW, taking it from 4,888 to 6,418MW.

The minister added the premier is taking great interest in building water reservoirs in the country. He maintained the work on several projects including Diamer Basha dam, Dasu Hydropower, Mohmand Dam, Kurram Tangi Dam, Nai Gaj dam, Sindh Barrage, Kachhi Canal, K-4 water supply is in full swing.

The T5 project is being constructed on Tunnel No. 5 of Tarbela Dam. The World Bank is providing $390 million, while the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) will contribute $300 million.

Work on Tarbela 5th Extension Project to start in July: Wapda

The cumulative generation capacity of the T5 project is expected to be 1,530MW with three generating units of 510MW each. The project, scheduled to commence electricity generation by mid-2024, will provide 1.347 billion units, on average, of low-cost hydel electricity per annum to the national grid.