CPEC: Dasu Hydropower Project to start electricity generation by 2026
Islamabad: China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)’s Dasu Hydropower Project will start electricity generation by 2026, a high-level meeting was told here.
Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) Chairman Lt. General Sajjad Ghani (retd) was briefed about the project by the management during his visit to Dasu Hydropower Project, which is being constructed by WAPDA on River Indus upstream of Dasu town in Upper Kohistan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
Construction work is continuing simultaneously on 12 different sites of Dasu Hydropower Project, however, the critical diversion system will be completed in May, while electricity generation from the project will commence by 2026, the meeting was informed.
The project is located approximately 74 kilometers downstream of the Diamer Basha Dam, 240km upstream of the Tarbela Dam, and 345km from Islamabad.
The run-of-the-river hydropower project is being developed in two stages by WAPDA. It is part of the hydropower development projects included in the Vision 2025 Program envisaged by WAPDA in 2001 and the Power Policy 2013 of the Government of Pakistan (GOP).
A total of 12 hydropower units rated at 360 Megawatt (MW) each will be installed, which includes six in the first phase and six in the second.
Phase one will have an annual output capacity of 12,300 Gigawatt hours (GWh) while phase two completion would increase the same to 21,700GWh.
China resumed work on Dasu Hydropower Project early last year after a break due to a terror attack. Ten Chinese nationals died while 28 others were injured in the attack on a bus carrying Chinese workers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on July 14, 2021.
The Chinese workers and accompanying Pakistani staff were proceeding to their workplace for an ongoing project when the incident took place. Four Pakistani nationals had also lost their lives in the attack.
Beijing had asked Pakistan to thoroughly investigate the incident, and arrest the perpetrators to protect the Chinese personnel and projects.
Pakistan is a close ally of China, and a large number of Chinese nationals are based in the country to supervise the infrastructure projects. Pakistan’s army has also created a special security division for the security of CPEC and its workforce.
On Tuesday afternoon WAPDA Chairman visited various sites of the project including diversion tunnels and others areas. He was accompanied by the Commissioner Hazara Division. Senior officials related to Dasu Hydropower Project were also present on the occasion.
During his visit to the project colony, the Chairman inaugurated the newly constructed office building of the project. He also had a meeting with grand jirga (tribal assembly), comprising elders and notables of Kohistan region.
Interacting with the jirga members, the Chairman said that the agreement, signed among the United Kohistan Jirga, civil administration and WAPDA last month, will prove beneficial for both locals of the area and the project.
At present, WAPDA is constructing stage-I with installed generation capacity of 2160 MW and annual energy generation of 12 billion units of low-cost and environment-friendly electricity.
The stage-II, when implemented, will also provide 9 billion units to the National Grid. On completion of the both Stages, Dasu will become the project with the highest annual energy generation in Pakistan – 21 billion units on the average.
WAPDA is spending Pakistani Rs 17.34 billion on schemes relating to resettlement, environmental management and social development in the project area.
About 3722 jobs, including 1945 for locals, have so far been created, which will increase to 8000 mark during peak construction period of the project.
