The project is located approximately 100km from Islamabad on the Indus River in north West Pakistan. It involves the construction of a partial river diversion at Ghazi, 7km downstream from the Tarbela dam. The barrage will divert the water into a 52km concrete-lined channel and deliver the water to the 1,450MW powerhouse at Barotha lower down the river near the confluence of the Indus and Haro rivers. In this reach the Indus River drops by 76m in a distance of 63km. After passing through the powerhouse, diverted water will be returned to the Indus. In addition to these main works, transmission lines stretching 340km will be required.
PROJECT SPONSOR:
Expected to be completed in 2003, the project sponsor is the government-owned Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA). It identified the Ghazi Barotha project as an opportunity to build a large-scale installation with minimal disruption. At 1,450MW, the plant will account for over 10% of current Pakistani capacity, making a major contribution to the expansion program. Resettlement will be limited to around 900 people. Ghazi Barotha is a run-of-river plant, with no need for massive dams or reservoirs.
PROJECT RATIONALE:
Pakistan's energy strategy is to encourage thermal Independent Power Producers (IPPs), but to undertake selected hydropower projects nationally. In this way they both hope to attract managerial and operational skills as well as financing from the private sector, whilst developing the most economically viable hydro projects in an environmentally acceptable manner. The Ghazi Barotha project is particularly attractive as it will provide power to meet peaks in demand throughout the year and will allow full power generation during the months of May and June when low reservoir levels mean that output from other hydropower projects is reduced.
Power demand and supply in Pakistan is expected to create a considerable deficit by 2010. Therefore the Ministry of Power and Water has devised a plan for future projects (both thermal and hydro) called 'Vision 2025'.
CONSTRUCTION DELAYS AND PROBLEMS:
Delays including project funding, labor disputes and contractor payments have been a problem throughout the construction. In September 1997 the project stalled, as the Pakistan government had not matched funding by the donor companies, the victim of government deficit cutting measures prompted by the IMF. Some of the plans for bridges and culverts associated with the project had to be abandoned. In 2001 the World Bank, who is one of the main sponsors for the project, threatened to withdraw funding. This dispute stemmed from the government's questioned ability to resettle the 900 inhabitants of the area.
PLANT FINANCE:
A consortium provided financing. WAPDA accounts for the lion's share – it will tap internal resources to invest $1 billion, or 44.4% of the total ($2.25 billion). Multilateral lending to the Pakistan government is the second most important funding source. Asian Development Bank (ADB) estimates put the foreign exchange component at 63% of the total cost, and the local component at 37%. The World Bank provided a twenty-year loan of $350 million, and the ADB a twenty-five year loan of $300 million. National development funds covered most of the remainder; with Japan's Overseas Economic Co-operation Fund offering $350 million and Germany's Kreditanstalt fur Wiederaufbau (KfW) $150 million.
The package played a central role in the successful launch of the project – WAPDA's debt service burden will be lightened by generous terms during the construction period, and the utility did not have to contend with the difficulties of raising commercial finance. The financing is also designed to withstand future pressures; the financial internal rate of return of 13% in real terms is comfortably above the ADB estimated real cost of capital of 6.6%.
In 1998 the Kuwaiti government loaned the government of Pakistan $30 million for the purchase of transmission equipment related to the Ghazi Barotha project.
FINANCE CONCERNS:
In August 1999 the delay in completion of the dam required an additional $560 million of finance. WAPDA will provide 60% of this and the federal government will provide the rest.
Ghazi Barotha Contractors, the foreign firm overseeing the construction of the project, is seeking investigation into irregularities in local purchase items. There are reported to be several instances of over invoicing where the actual price of the goods is far less than price invoiced.
PLANT MAKE-UP
The consultant for the project is Pakistan Hydro Consultants, a joint venture comprising Harza Engineering Company of the US, Ewbank Preece and Binnie, Black & Veatch, (both of the UK) and two local firms, National Engineering Services Pakistan (NESPAK) and Associated
Consulting Engineers.
A consortium led by Italy's Impregilo, and including Campenon Bernard, Ed Zueblin and local contractors Saadullah Khan & Brothers and Nazir & Company, are constructing the barrage and power channel for $510 million. China's Don fang Electric Corporation was awarded the $214 million contract for the construction of the powerhouse and the associated infrastructure facilities.
TURBINES
Voith won the contract for the delivery and assembly of five Francis turbines. These are designed for an output of 295MW. To operate the power station, water from the Indus will be directed to the turbines via a 52km-long canal and via five pressure pipelines, each measuring 10.6m in diameter. The head of water at the power station will be 69ms. The flow rate through each turbine at rated power will be 485m³ per second. Each turbine runner will have a diameter of 6.5ms. A Japanese company will supply generators. Austrian VA Tech Voest obtained an order for penstocks for Ghazi Barotha plant. The five units have an outer diameter of 10.6m, a total weight of 9300t and cost approximately $12 million.
TRANSMISSION LINE
The construction of 225km of a 500kV transmission line, a new 500/22kV substation, and the extension of two further substations for delivering power from the Ghazi Barotha project, was partially funded by the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development.
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