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  • Jan 5th, 2013
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Wapda Chairman Raghib Shah met with USAID Director Jonathan Conly and Assistance Co-ordinator Richard Albright and discussed financial plan for water and hydro-power projects. The United States is one of Wapda's major donors. Over the past four years, USAID has provided over $300 million to support the modernisation of equipment at Tarbela and Mangla, completion of the multipurpose dams and irrigation systems of Gomal Zam and Satpara.

These investments are made to increase electricity supplies, provide water for irrigation over 200,000 acres of land and controlling floods in Pakistan. Wapda Chairman said that Pakistan has a potential of generating about 100,000MW of hydro-electricity, and to harness this potential, Pakistan will need to raise billions of dollars. He said that Pakistan's top hydro-project development is Diamer-Bhasha and the US has agreed to work with us, as we examine our options on how to raise the billions of dollars that are needed to make Diamer-Bhasha and other hydro-projects a reality. Diamer-Bhasha dam could add as much as 4,500MW to the power grid and provide critical water storage capacity, 6.7 million acre feet, for the country.

He further said that the US and many other international donors have supported Wapda, as we have successfully harnessed our rivers to power economic growth. Our partnerships with these donors have been successful and we hope to continue these partnerships.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2013


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