Tractebel has announced it is to lead a joint venture with National Development Consultants (NDC) for work on a new hydropower project on the Harpo river in Pakistan.
German hydropower specialists from Tractebel previously completed the feasibility study for the Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) project back in 2011. Now the firm will be working on the preparation of the tender documents and assisting with the award of contracts. The environmental and social impact studies will also be undertaken in this period. Construction itself will account for a further four years.
The location on the Harpo river, a tributary of the Indus river, has a head of almost 750m and will generate an output of 34.5MW. The Harpo river’s water will be collected by a Tyrolian-type weir. The design principle of this system will prevent coarse bed load entering the intake waterway. Also planned is a waterway with a double chamber desander, an open channel and a penstock for feeding the water to the powerhouse. Two vertically arranged Pelton turbines will generate annual electricity production output of almost 170GWh.
The power station project, with forecast completion in 2025, also involves a new access road and a suspension bridge with a span of around 150m across the Indus. Funding for the entire project is being provided by the German development bank Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KFW) and the French Agence Française de Développement (AFD). The contract for the joint venture was signed by the WAPDA and representatives of the joint venture on 26 April.
