During a recent visit to the Dasu Hydropower Project site in Upper Kohistan, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, WAPDA Chairman Lt Gen Sajjad Ghani (Retd) underscored the project’s importance in supplying clean and cost-effective electricity to Pakistan. He highlighted the need for consistent focus and hard work to ensure that the project stays on track and meets its deadlines.
In a statement issued on Monday, he emphasized that the timely completion of the project is key to addressing the country’s energy challenges and securing a more sustainable energy future.
Chairman Lt Gen Sajjad Ghani (Retd) highlighted WAPDA’s significant investment of Rs17.34 billion toward resettlement, environmental management, and social development in the region surrounding the Dasu Hydropower Project. He also urged project management to swiftly resolve any local concerns to maintain community support.
The Dasu Hydropower Project, with a total capacity of 4,320 MW, is being completed in two stages. Stage-I, which is currently underway, will generate 12 billion units of clean energy each year. Once Stage-II is complete, it will add an additional 9 billion units to the national grid. Upon full completion, Dasu will stand as Pakistan’s largest hydropower facility, producing a total of 21 billion units of electricity annually, marking a major step forward in the country’s renewable energy efforts.
During his recent visit to the Dasu Hydropower Project, Chairman Lt Gen Sajjad Ghani (Retd) took a close look at several important aspects of the construction. He inspected the main dam’s abutments, the underground powerhouse, the transformers cavern, and the relocated Karakoram Highway (KKH-I), while also evaluating progress across 15 active work fronts.
WAPDA officials shared some promising updates, noting that the upstream starter dam, now at 798 feet above mean sea level, has successfully diverted floodwaters through its tunnels. Ongoing work includes slope stabilization, excavation, and tunnel breakthroughs, with all seven tunnels of KKH-I now completed. Furthermore, they confirmed that land acquisition for the project has been wrapped up, setting the stage for the next phases of development.
The Dasu Hydropower Project is a run-of-the-river dam being constructed on the Indus River, designed to have an impressive installed capacity of up to 5,400 MW. This makes it one of Pakistan’s most significant energy projects, aimed at harnessing the power of the Indus to generate clean and reliable electricity.
The Dasu Hydropower Project, led by the China Gezhouba Group Company (CGGC), continues to progress with strong backing from the World Bank and a group of commercial banks. In its latest move, the World Bank has approved additional financing to help expand Pakistan’s hydropower capacity.
Initially, Pakistan had aimed to complete the first phase of the project by December 2021, which would have added 2,160 MW of electricity to the national grid. Although delays have occurred, the new funding ensures that work can continue, bringing the country closer to achieving this much-needed energy milestone.
According to the World Bank, this new funding will play a vital role in boosting hydropower electricity supply, ensuring more reliable energy for the country. It will also help improve socio-economic services for local communities living near the project.
Dasu dam will meet energy deficiency of Pakistan and Pakistan will prosper more IA in near future…
Dasu dam will meet energy deficiency of Pakistan and Pakistan will prosper more IA in near future…keep writing the good contant