Ghazi Barotha Hydropower Project

Mian Mobeen Shaukat, student mechanical engineering, Ghulam Ishaque Khan Institute of Engineering Sciences and Technology

Ghazi Home

GHAZI BAROTHA HYDROPOWER PROJECT

The GHAZI_BAROTHA hydropower project is a major run-of-the river environmentally sustainable power poject, designed to meet the acute shortage of peak power demand in our country. The project os based on the utilization of the head available in the INDUS RIVER between TARBELA DAM near GHAZI confluence with the HARO RIVER and the INDUS river near BAROTHA. In this reach the INDUS RIVER drops by about 76m in a distance of 63km.

The figure shows the detail of the project, it is evident that the project will have three main components :

• Barrage
• Power Channel
• Power Complex.

The barrage located about 7km downstream of TARBELA DAM will regulate the daily disharges from Tarbela and divert the water into the power channel. The concrete lined power channel will convey upto 1600 cumecs ( 56,500 cusecs ) from the barrage to the power complex. The channel will be 52 km long. The power complex will be located near the confluence of the Indus & Haro Rivers. It has a peak capacity of 1450 MW using 5x290//mw turbo generators.

OPERATION :

The project will have an installed generating capacity of 1450 MW. The power will be available during the critical months of May and June when the whole country is short of power. The power channel is designed to require regular de-watering for maitenance and inspection. Other parts of the project can be isolated for maintenace during the low flow season.

COSTS :

The total capital cost of the project at the September 1993 price levels is estimated to be at US $2166 M including the transmission links to the national grid, physical contingencies, price contingencies and engineering.

One of the most important features of the project is that it provides power peaking capacity throughout the year with full power generation during the months if May and June when there is a reduced generation from other hydropower projects as a result of low reservoir levels.

FEASIBILITY REPORT :

The feasibility study of the project, completed in April 1997, demonstrated the technical, environmental and economic feasibility of the project. An independent panel of experts, established for the project has been invloved in the review of various technical aspects of the project from the beginnning of the studies and the panel has endorsed the project as technically sound and economically highly attractive.

PROJECT COMPLETION SHCEDULE :

The above table shows that the project will be completed in 2001. The preparatory work and the land aquisition has been nearly completed . The barrage, the power channel and the power complex will take about five years to be completed.

We hope that the project will be completed within time (INSHA-ALLAH) and will provide the power to the National Grid System round the clock.

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