Page 8 - AsiaElec Week 27 2021

AsiaElec HYDRO AsiaElec

Chinese win $241mn contract

for Pakistani hydro expansion

PAKISTAN A joint venture of Harbin Electric International Grid every year.
Company and Harbin Electric Machinery Com- With the completion of Tarbela 5th Exten-
pany (HEIC-HEMC) have won a $241.1mn sion Hydropower Project, installed capacity at
contract for electro-mechanical (E&M) works Tarbela Dam will rise from 4,888 MW to 6,418
for the 1,530-MW Tarbela 5th Extension Hydro- MW.
power Project in Pakistan. Pakistan is rich in hydropower resources but
Pakistan’s Water and Power Development only around 16% of its identified hydropower
Authority (WAPDA) awarded the contract fol- potential has been harnessed.
lowing an international competitive bidding The country’s power sector is reliant on
process. imported fuel-based power generation and is
The contract was signed by Tarbela 5th burdened with a stressed transmission and dis-
Extension Hydropower Project Director (PD) tribution network.
Muhammad Azam Joya and HEIC-HEMC To balance the energy mix and reduce its
Vice President Zhang Yu Long on behalf of their dependence on imported fuel, the government
organizations. has committed to increase its untapped renew-
In May, WAPDA awarded Power Construc- able energy potential in hydro, solar and wind.
tion Corporation of China Limited (PCCCL) a Indeed, in December Pakistani Prime Minis-
$354.6mn contract for construction work at the ter Imran Khan said that the country would no
project. longer approve new coal-fired power generation
The Tarbela 5th Extension Hydropower projects as part of a number of efforts by his gov-
Project is being constructed on Tunnel No. 5 ernment to combat climate change.
of Tarbela Dam. The International Bank for “We have already scrapped two coal power
Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) is projects which were supposed to produce 2,600
providing $390mn for the project, while the Chi- MW of energy. [We have] replaced them with
nese-backed Asian Infrastructure Investment hydroelectricity,” Khan said.
Bank (AIIB) is lending $300mn Renewables and nuclear make up 9% of the
The cumulative generation capacity of the energy mix, while hydropower produces 27%
project stands at 1,530 MW with three generat- and fossil fuels – natural gas, liquefied natural
ing units of 510 MW each. gas, and coal – generate 64% of the electricity.
The project, scheduled to start electricity gen- The country also suffers from a 2,000-MW
eration by mid-2024, will provide 1.347 billion supply gap, and annual demand is growing by
kWh of low-cost hydro electricity to the National 7%.™

P8 www. NEWSBASE .com Week 27 07•July•2021