By Ayesha Saba ISLAMABAD, June 06, (INP-WealthPK): The completion of the Mangla refurbishment project will increase the generation capacity of the Mangla Hydel Power Station and help to ease the prevailing energy crisis in the country. An official told WealthPK that the project was being executed by Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) with the financial assistance of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). He added that WAPDA successfully commissioned two units of the power station, with an approved PC-I cost of Rs52.224 billion. USAID is providing US$150 million as a grant for the project while the remaining amount is being arranged by WAPDA. “The US is eager to continue working with Pakistan to develop a clean, efficient and reliable energy generation sector that will serve as a framework for long-term growth. Mangla Dam is a great example of long-lasting friendship and economic cooperation between the US and Pakistan,” USAID Mission Director Julie A. Koenen said. WAPDA Member Jamil Akhtar also praised USAID for providing sustained assistance to the power sector of Pakistan, particularly the Mangla refurbishment project. He said that WAPDA was not only initiating new hydropower projects but also rehabilitating and strengthening the existing hydel power plants, including Mangla, to optimise the ratio of environmentally beneficial and low-cost hydel electricity in the national grid. “WAPDA has renovated, refurbished, upgraded and modernised its existing hydropower facilities to maximise their power generation capacity,” an official of WAPDA, who wished not to be named, told WealthPK. He said that optimal development of hydropower in the country was vital for a long-term solution to the power issues and economic prosperity. He said that hydropower development was considered a major element of progress. He added that there were unlimited indigenous resources of energy that needed to be exploited. “An economic lifetime of hydropower plant is roughly 50 years, depending on the working conditions of the installed plant machinery, which requires regular maintenance, periodic overhauls and partial equipment replacement and upgradation,” said the official. He said that the old powerhouses must be modernised to improve their performance and ensure safety in accordance with international standards. “WAPDA is keen about the refurbishment of its hydropower stations, but most of the schemes are unable to progress owing to lack of finances,” he added. The refurbishment project, after completion, would increase the generation capacity of the Mangla Hydel Power Station from 1,000 megawatts to 1,310 megawatts. Mangla Hydel Power Station’s average yearly generation will also grow from five billion to 6.5 billion units. The restoration work has been divided into 11 packages, each of which is being carried out in various stages by shutting down one tunnel (two generating units) at a time. Various dams and transmission lines have been set up in Pakistan in collaboration with the US to increase power generation in the country. Pakistan has built Gomal Zam Dam in South Waziristan, Satpara Dam in Gilgit-Baltistan, and Golen Gol Dam in Chitral with the assistance of the US and added 143 megawatts of electricity to the national grid. The official told WealthPK that Mangla and Tarbela dams and three thermal power plants were also rehabilitated with the assistance of the US, connecting up to 860 megawatts of commercially-funded wind and solar projects to the national grid.