Saudi firm announces additional $57 million for Golen Gol project

CHITRAL, Nov 19: The chief engineer of Saudi Fund for Development (SFD), Sheikh Abdullah Alshuaibi, visited the Golen Gol hydro-power project. Accompanied by chairman Wapda Syed Raghib Abbas Shah, the SFD technical chief expressed satisfaction over the pace and quality of work but directed the Korean construction company Sambu to further accelerate the work. “Do not wait for August 2015 which is its stipulated completion date,” he asked the Koreans and announced additional grant of $57 million for the project so that financial constraints could not pose a problem for it. He raised a number of points regarding implementation of the design work and reiterated that no compromise was possible on quality of work and he will visit the site in the month of May next. He was told that out of 4.5 kms tunnel, 3.8 kms had been completed while the rest will be completed by January next while 80 percent of the total work stands completed till the date for which the Fund has granted $40 million. The project is first of its nature in the district and is designed with an installed capacity of 108 MW generated from three turbines while work on civil works was started in December 2010. Golen Gol hydropower project is a part of least-cost energy generation plan of Government of Pakistan, being executed by WAPDA on priority basis to harness the indigenous hydropower resources of the country to improve the ratio of hydel electricity in the National Grid, help reduce electricity tariff and provide relief to the consumers. Golen Gol hydropower project is located on the River Golen Gol, a major tributary of the River Mastuj in Chitral. On its completion, the project will contribute about 436 million units of electricity to the system. Being an environment friendly hydropower project, it will help reduce dependence on expensive thermal power, thereby saving foreign exchange amounting to $ 34 million per annum, required for generating the equal quantum of electricity through imported furnace oil.–Zahiruddin  ]]>