On July 24, the runner of Unit 1 of the Phase V expansion project of the Tarbela Hydropower Station in Pakistan was successfully developed by Harbin Electric Zhenjiang Company in the Zhenjiang High-Tech Zone, and it will soon be shipped to Pakistan. This is the latest achievement of in-depth cooperation between China and Pakistan in the energy sector.

The Tarbela Hydropower Station is known as Pakistan’s “Three Gorges”, integrating functions of power generation, flood control, and cross-basin irrigation. It is Pakistan’s largest and most important power supply base, as well as the country’s energy lifeline project. As the “power core” of a hydropower unit, the runner is the core component that determines the unit’s hydraulic energy conversion. The runner of Unit 1 of the Tarbela Phase V expansion project adopts a cast-welded structure. It is the largest and heaviest runner for overseas export independently developed by Harbin Electric Machinery Company, and the first large mixed-flow unit runner processed and manufactured by Harbin Electric Zhenjiang Company.

The Tarbela Hydropower Station is located in the Indus River Basin, an area with heavy sediment deposition. The complex operating conditions of the unit pose severe challenges to the development of the equipment, especially the runner. Harbin Electric Machinery Company established a dedicated R&D team to independently tackle key technical problems in runner design and manufacturing processes. Striving for excellence, the team successfully controlled the overall geometric tolerances at the millimeter level, far exceeding international industry standards.