ISLAMABAD: The Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) and the National Transmission and Despatch Company (NTDC) have reportedly locked horns on erection of six-meter Microwave (MW) Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) Towers-III in Wapda House, well-informed sources told Business Recorder.

The federal government has now entered the dispute to resolve it amicably between both public-sector entities.

The NTDC is of the view that a letter was issued by it regarding access to the Ghazi Barotha site for RTU point-to-point (P2P) testing. The successful completion of testing, along with other essential tasks is vital to the overall progress of the SCADA-III project.

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The NTDC has further claimed that unfortunately, continued delays have significantly hindered its efforts and have had a detrimental effect on the project timelines.

However, Wapda, in its response has stated that regarding the access issue mentioned including those at the Ghazi Barotha site for RTU P2P testing, it consistently adhered to established Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for site access. Specifically, this includes the requirement for a No Objection Certificate (NOC) for foreigners from Ministry of Interior and police verification for local contractors.

“Wapda understands that these requirements might seen time-consuming; however, they are crucial for maintaining the integrity and security of our operations,” Member (Power) Wapda said, adding that NTDC should ensure all necessary documentation is submitted in a timely manner to avoid any further delays.

Member (Power) WAPDA is also of the view that his organisation is committed to supporting the successful completion of the SCADA-III project.

On the issue of SCADA-III towers, the NTDC has argued that the approval of the access for MW Tower at Wapda House has been pending for over a year and a half, with no final resolution in sight, adding that this is just one instance of kind of delay that causing serious setbacks.

Responding to NTDC, Wapda has claimed that NTDC award SCADA phase-III projects with erection of two 6-meter high MW towers at the rooftop of Wapda House, Lahore without getting any NOC from Wapda and without any municipal approval from concerned agencies since long.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024