Construction of the 1,530 MW Tarbela 5th Extension Hydropower Project (T-5) is in full swing and will start generating electricity in 2025. With the completion of the MW-T-5 Project, the existing installed capacity at Tarbela Dam will rise from existing 4,888 MW to 6,418 MW. 

Last year, WAPDA awarded a $354.6 million worth of contract to Power Construction Corporation of China Ltd. (PCCCL) for the civil work of the Tarbela 5th extension. 

Chairman WAPDA Lt Gen Sajjad Ghani (Retd) visited Tarbela Dam on September 27 to review progress on the T-5 Project. GM Tarbela Dam/PD T-5 Project briefed him about the effective operation and benefits of Tarbela Dam. 

The GM also made a presentation about the matters related to the operation and maintenance of the 3,478 MW-Tarbela Hydel Power Station and the 1,410 MW-Tarbela 4th Extension Hydel Power Station. 

While expressing satisfaction over the pace of construction, Mr. Ghani said that Tarbela Dam has been phenomenally contributing to economic and social development in Pakistan since its completion in 1974. The under-construction Tarbela 5th Extension Hydropower Project (T-5) will increase its hydel generation. 

Tarbela Dam has been a vital project for irrigated agriculture and the economy of the country, because it provides water for agriculture, mitigates floods, and generates a sizable quantum of low-cost and environment-friendly hydel electricity to the National Grid. As many as 64 million acre-feet of water are released annually from Tarbela Dam to meet irrigation needs of the country. 

In addition, Tarbela Hydel Power Station and Tarbela 4th Extension Hydel Power Station have contributed 540.37 billion units and 17.30 billion units of green, clean and cheap electricity to the National Grid respectively since their commissioning.