Tarbela 4th Extension Hydropower Project reviewed
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LAHORE: (APP) Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) Chairman Zafar Mahmood Saturday held a meeting during his visit to Tarbela 4th Extension Hydropower Project, wherein the project was critically appraised.
The meeting noted that following force majeure events caused slippages of various targets pertaining to completion of the project: (a) abnormal high flows in terms of timings and quantity of waters (b) IRSA's constraints vis-a-vis releases of water from the Dam and (c) accident at site on July 2, 2016, said a WAPDA spokesman here in a statement.
The meeting was informed that construction activities on the project were being carried out in right earnest round-the-clock. An untoward incident took place on one of the construction sites on July 2, 2016, resulting in four casualties including two Chinese and two Pakistani workers. The accident was evidence that an extremely tight 24-hours schedule was being observed in implementing the project where even a single day becomes very important.
The first generating unit of the project was expected to be completed in August 2017, while the remaining two units were likely to come on line in February and March 2018.
During the meeting, the chairman pointed out the following shortcomings:-
(a) The second and third generating units were much delayed, which appeared to be unjustifiable. (b) Detailed schedule of time lines for accelerated construction programme was not chalked out.
(c) The schedule was not got signed from the civil and electro-mechanical contractors. (d) The schedule does not carry the endorsement of the consultants. (e) The schedule was not made contractually enforceable.
It was noted in the meeting that while finalising the accelerated construction plan, WAPDA estimated its financial benefits amounting to $300 million and the World Bank estimated additional economic benefits up to $750 million, while the contractor demanded USD 51 million for implementing the same. Therefore, it was all the more important to include fresh cost-benefit analysis in the revised schedule as well, so that the decision was made keeping all factors in view.
The chairman told the contractor that after February this year, the time lines agreed to in the accelerated construction plan were not adhered to, hence, no payment was made to them on this account. If the contractor failed to submit a justifiable schedule, the accelerated construction plan would have to be aborted in accordance with the contractual clauses, and the payments to the contractor amounting to $25.5 million which were made till February 2016, would also be recovered.
It was also decided during the meeting that revised schedule be submitted to WAPDA Authority by Thursday so that it could decide that either the accelerated construction plan be allowed to continue or the original construction plan was to be followed.
Tarbela Dam General Manager Iqbal Masood Siddiqui, General Manager (Central Contract Cell) Nasir Hanif, Tarbela 4th Extension Hydropower Project Director Sohail Khan, Consultants Acting Project Manager Abdul Majeed, representative of civil contractors namely LingJianke, YungHeyi and Tuo Yu, representatives of electro-mechanical contractor namely Stephen Luis, Cheng Ho Chen and others attended the meeting.
