1,960MW Hydropower Capacity To Be Added In 2026-27
ISLAMABAD, (APP – UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News – 23rd Aug, 2026) The government has planned to add 1,960 megawatts of hydropower capacity under the power generation commissioning schedule for 2026-27, with three units of the Tarbela 5th Extension Project accounting for the bulk of the planned hydel addition.
According to power generation schedule for projects to be commissioned from July 2026 to June 2027, available with Wealth Pakistan, five hydropower entries being developed or refurbished by the Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) account for a combined capacity of 1,960MW. This represents about 51.8% of the total 3,787.24MW capacity listed in the schedule.
The largest contribution will come from three 510MW units of the Tarbela 5th Extension Project in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Unit-I is scheduled for commissioning in September 2026, followed by Unit-II in November and Unit-III in December. Together, the three Tarbela units will add 1,530MW, accounting for about 78% of the hydropower capacity listed in the schedule and more than 40% of the program’s overall capacity.
The commissioning timetable places most of the planned hydropower addition in the first half of fiscal year 2026-27, with all three Tarbela units scheduled to become operational by December 2026. Another major addition will come from the first 360MW unit of the Dasu Hydropower Project in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. According to the schedule, the WAPDA project is due for commissioning in May 2027.
The Dasu unit represents about 18.4% of the 1,960MW hydropower capacity covered by the schedule. The remaining 70MW will come from the refurbishment of Units 9 and 10 at Mangla in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, which is scheduled for June 2027.
Apart from hydropower, the schedule lists 301.9MW under the photovoltaic market and 49.2MW under the wind market, both with commercial operation dates of July 2026. It also lists 1,476.14MW of net-metering solar capacity under power distribution companies.
Hydropower constitutes the largest generation source in the schedule, with the Tarbela units alone accounting for the majority of the planned hydel capacity. Tarbela and Dasu together account for 1,890MW, while refurbishment of the two Mangla units contributes another 70MW.
If the projects proceed according to the stated commissioning dates, the scheduled hydropower additions and refurbishment will bring 1,960MW of capacity into operation by June 2027.
