LAHORE - Water & Power Ministry and NESPAK have endorsed the evaluation of WAPDA and the consultants pertaining to lot 3.2 for electro-mechanical works of the 106 mw Golen Gol Hydropower Project, an official told The Nation. It has been learnt that a hurdle, with this development, in the way to timely completion of the project is over, as the project might have been delayed due to controversy created by M/s Andritz – one of the bidders for electrical and mechanical works of the project. The official told this scribe that on the complaint lodged by M/s Andritz against WAPDA for declaring M/s Rainpower as the lowest bidder for the lot, the Ministry probed the issue through fact finding inquiry and the NESPAK. In its letter No. 1(3) DS (A)/2012 dated June 7, 2012, the Ministry stated: “NESPAK considers that WAPDA Committee’s Report comprehensively supplements the Consultants tender evaluation and together with the exhaustive deliberations exercised by the Authority (WAPDA), the conclusion arrived at vis-à-vis Rainpower Consortium’s tender being the most advantageous for the project, is appropriate in the given conditions”. The Ministry, in the letter, has also directed WAPDA to take necessary action vis-à-vis award of the contract. Any delay in completion of the project could inflict a loss of about Rs 5 billion per year in the shape of loss of power generation, escalation and claims by the contractor. The Golen Gol Hydropower Project is under construction in Chitral of KPK province, with installed capacity of 106 mega watt. It is partially financed by Saudi Fund for Development (SFD), Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFD) and Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).