LAHORE - Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA), after completing all prerequisites, is going to start construction work on three more hydropower and water projects in a couple of months. With cumulative generation capacity of about 1540MW and gross water storage capacity of 250,000 acre feet, these projects included two hydropower projects- Tarbela 4th Extension and Keyal Khwar- and one medium-sized dam namely Naulong, the WAPDA spokesman said here Tuesday. The projects were part of WAPDA’s least cost energy generation and water storage plan, under which 26 projects of more than 21,000MW power generation and 13 million acre feet (maf) water storage capacity were in various phases of their implementation, he added. He said that 1410MW Tarbela 4th Extension Project was being undertaken at Tarbela Hydel Power Station. Three generating units of 470MW each would be installed, which increased the power station’s generation capacity from 3478MW to 4888MW with an estimated annual energy contribution of 3480 million units and Rs 30 billion benefits. The spokesman said the 122MW Keyal Khwar Hydropower Project located over a right tributary of River Indus in Dasu district, KPK, would contribute 426 million low-cost units with an estimated annual benefit of Rs 3.5 billion. While, Naulong Dam located over Mula River in Jhal Magsi district, Balochistan, would have 250,000maf water storage capacity and irrigate 47,000 acres of land, besides generating 4.4MW electricity with an annual benefit of Rs 2.5 billion, he maintained. He said that WAPDA was already constructing 106MW Golen Gol Hydropower Project over a tributary of River Mastuj in Chitral district, KPK. Likewise, Nai Gaj Dam was being constructed over Gaj River in Dadu district, Sindh. The 194 feet high dam would store 300,000 acre feet water and irrigate about 40,000 acres of land with an estimated annual benefit of Rs 3.5 billion.