An aerial view of the Tarbela Hydropower Station.
The Tarbela Hydropower Station, located approximately 113 kilometers from Islamabad, originally had a total of 14 units and an installed capacity of 3,478 megawatts. The extension work involved converting the fourth irrigation tunnel into a water intake valve for power generation, adding three more generating units, and increasing the station's installed capacity to 4,888 megawatts.
Work on the project commenced in October 2013 and was completed in June 2021. During construction, POWERCHINA overcame several world-class engineering challenges, including the installation of the world's largest pressure steel pipe turnout group and constructing gates at depths of over a hundred meters.
The project delivers over 30 billion kilowatt-hours of clean electricity to Pakistan's national grid annually, which can meet the electricity needs of approximately 2 million households. This has significantly alleviated Pakistan's current electricity supply shortages and has contributed to local economic development by breaking through the bottleneck issue of power shortages.
