Pakistan’s Rs 316-billion Hydropower Project halted as rock collapse hits protective barrier, no casualties

A large debris of rock collapsed at the construction site of Pakistan's Tarbela 5th Extension hydropower project during excavation on Monday (November 9). The incident caused reservoir water to flood Tunnel 5 and the powerhouse area, forcing workers to evacuate the area, according to the Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda).

Wapda said in a statement that the collapse took place while excavating the 2nd Bench Connecting Tunnel. Following the collapse, an emergency was declared, construction activities were suspended, and workers were shifted to a safer location, with no casualties.

Wapda reported that the intake pit has been fully drained, with no more water flowing to downstream work sites. The dewatering of the powerhouse zone is underway, and senior officials, along with the project engineer and the contractor, are inspecting the area. Meanwhile, the authority pushed back on claims that the T-5 tunnel had caved in, saying the main tunnel, the powerhouse under construction, the tailrace culvert and the switchyard remain intact.

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The 2017 project

The incident comes as the 1,530 MW hydropower project of Pakistan is still under scrutiny over cost and execution. It was approved in 2017 at about Rs 82 billion, revised to Rs 316 billion. The revised project was cleared by the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council in August.

An official probe into last year’s cofferdam collapse found that WAPDA, the contractor and the consultant all shared blame, not because of flooding, but due to an unapproved switch in design from roller-compacted concrete to a less sturdy rock-fill structure, compounded by poor oversight. Federal Flood Commission chief Ather Hameed headed that inquiry.

The project relies on roughly $700 million in financing from the World Bank and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. Planning Commission officials have cautioned that power generation costs could climb to Rs 27-28 per unit, among the priciest for renewable energy nationally, while the completion timeline has been pushed back to June 2028 from the original 2026 target.