More hydropower for Pakistan

Continuing our legacy of designing, engineering, and managing critical infrastructure in Pakistan, SMEC has recently been engaged as lead firm in a joint venture with Temelsu, to implement two hydropower plants in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region.

The proposed weir site for the Gabral-Kalam Hydropower Plant development project.

Continuing our legacy of designing, engineering, and managing critical infrastructure in Pakistan, SMEC has recently been engaged as lead firm in a joint venture with Temelsu, to implement two hydropower plants in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region.

Funded by World Bank, and commissioned by Pakhtunkhwa Energy Development Organisation, the project will address the region’s rising electricity demands by developing and implementing hydropower plant concepts in Gabral-Kalam, and in Madyan.

Power shortages are commonplace in the north western region of Pakistan. With electricity supply limited to 6 hours a day in some districts, the shortfall is further exacerbated by low voltages which strain residents’ ability to draw water.

With a capacity of 88 MW, once complete and operational, the Gabral-Kalam Hydropower Project will generate an average of 339 GWh of energy per year. Its powerhouse site is close to Kalam town, and its proposed weir site is located on Gabral River (a tributary of Swat River near the Kanai village) in the Swat district.

Located about 50 kilometres downstream of Gabral-Kalam, and set to generate 767.5 GWh of energy per year, the 157 MW Madyan Hydropower Plant is also in the Swat district, with its weir and powerhouse located just north of Madyan town.

As project implementation consultants, SMEC will lead the joint venture partners to deploy multidisciplinary experts to review the proposed designs for both developments, supervise construction, and deliver training to build capacity among the local stakeholders who will operate and maintain the infrastructure when it is built.

For the Gabral-Kalam Project, our scope of works includes reviewing the proposed design and feasibility study and for the Madyan Project, we will carry out detailed engineering design. Providing technical assistance to the client’s staff, SMEC will also prepare bidding documents, carry out the bidding process and supervise construction for both projects.

“Together, these crucial hydropower projects will inject 1,106.5 GWh of energy into the national grid annually,” said Aijaz Ahmed, SMEC’s General Manager Hydropower Operations.

“We are proud to harness our expertise in hydropower, and our significant experiences working with multilateral bank-funded initiatives to generate cost effective and sustainable energy in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with enduring economic benefits.”

Photo from the signing ceremony in Pakistan. Left to right: SMEC’s Principal Engineer, Muhammad Nasir and General Manager of Hydropower Operations, Aijaz Ahmed Pitafi, with Pakhtunkhwa Energy Development Organisation’s Director of Procurement & Contracts, Faisal Qaseem (our client) and Temelsu’s representative Nasiruddin, along with Chief Engineer/ Head PMO, Sayed Shah Hussain from our client’s office, SMEC’s Country Manager, Muhammad Jamil, and our clients, Director of Business Planning & Analysis, Faraz Khan and Director of the Madyan Project, Mustafa Kamal Khan.

The proposed weir site for the Madyan Hydropower Plant development project.