USAID ENERGY POLICY PROGRAM MONTHLY REPORT APRIL 2011 REHABILITATION OF TARBELA HYDROPOWER PLANT

391-TDR-FARA-002-00, is a critical component of the USAID Energy Policy Program. The program aims to improve the overall generation capacity of the Tarbela power plant, which is a vital source of electricity for Pakistan. The rehabilitation program involves the replacement of damaged generator stator windings with Class F insulation windings for units 4, 3, and 1. The installation of Class F windings is in progress at unit 4, with a scheduled completion date of end May 2011. The vendor notified a Force Majeure event in March due to the recent earthquake in Japan, but the winding has been shipped and is expected to arrive at the Tarbela site by mid-May. The procurement of new digital governors was approved by the Contracting and Commercial Committee (CCC) and WAPDA has placed the purchase order for them. The baseline generation data for units 4, 1, and 3 was collected during a site visit by EP Experts on December 31, 2010. The data indicates that the present capacity of unit 4 is 87 MW, which is expected to increase to 195 MW after the winding replacement, resulting in an overall improvement of 108 MW. For unit 1, the present capacity is 185 MW, which is expected to increase to 195 MW after the winding replacement, resulting in an overall improvement of 10 MW. For unit 3, the present capacity is also 185 MW, which is expected to increase to 195 MW after the winding replacement, resulting in an overall improvement of 10 MW. The overall improvement in generation is expected to be 128 MW. The rehabilitation program is expected to be completed by the end of 2011, with the installation of Class F windings for units 4, 3, and 1, and the upgrading of the SCADA system for units 1-14. The critical issues and USAID/AEAI support required for the rehabilitation program include the acquisition of a Clearance Certificate from the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) for exemption of taxes and customs duties on the procurement of equipment under FARA. WAPDA has already acquired the necessary clearance certificate, and no further action or support is required from USAID/AEAI. Another critical issue is the shutdown of Tarbela units for the installation of equipment under FARA. Tarbela has an annual scheduled unit shutdown during the six low water months (November to April) for annual maintenance of equipment. However, shutdown would be required in the high water season when the demand is also at its peak (May to October) to meet the FARA timelines. WAPDA/Tarbela has already made a formal request to the National Power Control Centre (NPCC) along with a shutdown plan, and unit # 4 shutdown was approved from November 22, 2010. AEAI is providing support to WAPDA/Tarbela staff in order to optimize the schedule making best use of time and resources for meeting the FARA timelines. The action items for the next month include planning for unit # 1 shutdown to start dismantling and installation of Class F windings, and placing a purchase order again for spares for unit # 3 windings, which were shipped without spares.