Pakistan does not require electricity; it requires cheap electricity

How is the Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) structured? MUZAMMIL HUSSAIN: When WAPDA was established in 1958, the Tennessee Valley Authority’s (TVA) model was used as the base for its business structure. The TVA model’s legal and constitutional position allows WAPDA to be an independent authority in terms of financial power. The Authority comprises three members – Water, Finance and Power – and a chairman with the decision-making power over all WAPDA related projects. Water employs technical expertise to conduct feasibility studies on potential dams and creates detailed engineering designs for hydropower installations. Based on these studies, Finance analyses the engineering designs and lays out cost estimates for a project. This initiates the procurement process, which includes hiring consultants and mobilising contractors. When a project is completed, it enters the operation and maintenance phase and becomes the responsibility of Power, which manages the technical capacity of the installation, power generation, upgrades and obtaining any foreign funding required for maintenance and other purposes.