In a major milestone for development of the 4320MW Dasu hydropower project in Pakistan, the Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) has signed two contracts with China Gezhouba Group Company (CGGC) for a total value of US$1.7 billion for construction of main civil works of the project.
The first contract, MW-01, was valued at US$1.1 billion and is to be completed in about five years. It includes construction of the main dam, appurtenant structures and hydraulic steel structures.
The second contract, MW-02, was valued at US$0.6 billion and comprises construction of the underground power complex, tunnels and hydraulic structures.
The Dasu project is being constructed by WAPDA on River Indus upstream of Dasu Town in Kohistan District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Province. The project will be completed in two stages – each stage having a generation capacity of 2160MW. The World Bank is partially providing funds for construction of Stage-I of the project, while a major chunk of the finances are being arranged by WAPDA from its own resources and with the sovereign guarantee of Government of Pakistan. Stage-I will contribute more than 12 billion units per annum to the National Grid. Stage-II, after its completion, will also provide another 9 billion units to the system every year.
By Ejaz Hussain Butt
