The inauguration of Tarbela-IV project by WAPDA aims to bring on record in accordance with the Investigation Committee’s (IC) report, where all the members of the IC were of the opinion that the contractual formalities were fulfilled before the Commissioning, including suitability of use of lower intake, partial removal of coffer dam and dry testing.
With regard to wet testing, two members of IC consider that wet testing was completed successfully according to the contract, while the other members of IC considered full load testing as an essential component for a meaningful wet testing. Notwithstanding above, the IC did not question the operation of Unit 17 of T4 in June 2018 after Commissioning in March 2018.
Moreover, the majority technical members of the IC also determined that the advices of the World Bank were adhered to in terms of agreeing on pragmatic timelines for commissioning of the plant, having those approved by the WAPDA Authority, and making the unit ready in March 2018 to generate electricity in June/July 2018. Due to adherence of above advice, the Unit after completing the Commissioning in March 2018, generated electricity in June 2018 for 23 days continuously.
It is also to be mentioned that the loss determined by the IC was attributed to the sticking of draft tube gates and the IC in this regard also determined that the COD or inauguration did not have any nexus with the incident of gates jamming into the silt.
Published in Daily Times, March 6th 2019.
