The refurbishment of Mangla dam’s units 5 and 6 by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif aims to increase the dam’s electricity generation capacity.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif called the project a “wonderful example” of Pakistan-US cooperation. He stated that the total cost of the upgrade project is $483 million, with the US providing $150 million as a grant.
The premier emphasized the importance of strengthening bilateral trade and investment cooperation between Islamabad and Washington. He also referred to the economic contributions of the Mangla dam and said, “Pakistan cannot afford expensive energy on which annually Rs27 billion are currently being spent”.
He further emphasized the importance of utilizing indigenous resources such as hydel, solar, air, and coal to generate cheap electricity.
Shehbaz also stated that the current government had prepared a project to generate 10,000 megawatts of electricity using solar energy and a 1,320-megawatt power project in Thar to use indigenous coal for electricity production.
The premier regrets that the country’s hydel power potential of 60,000 megawatts could not be fully realized.
He stated that, in addition to the Mangla and Tarbela Dam extensions, Diamer Basha, Dasu, and other projects had been launched.
The prime minister further said that if these hydropower projects had been completed sooner, the country would not have suffered as much damage from the recent floods, and its reliance on imported fuel would have been minimal.
PM emphasized the importance of unity in serving the country and steering it through all challenges.
In his remarks on occasion, US Ambassador to Pakistan Donald Blome stated that the Mangla dam is a “great symbol of Pakistan-US cooperation.”
He stated that, among other hydropower projects, the US assists Pakistan in rehabilitating the Tarbela power stations.
Moreover, the ambassador stated that the Mangla power station rehabilitation work will increase electricity output to meet the needs of an additional two million people and ensure that Mangla power stations remain operational for the next several years.