WAPDA Chairman Highlights Importance of Dasu Hydropower Project
ISLAMABAD: Lt Gen Sajjad Ghani (Retd), Chairman of WAPDA, emphasized the crucial role of the Dasu Hydropower Project in providing clean and affordable electricity for Pakistan during his recent visit to the construction site in Upper Kohistan, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. In a press statement released on Monday, he called for sustained efforts to ensure the project adheres to its timelines.
During his site tour, the chairman inspected several key components, including the abutments of the main dam, the underground powerhouse, the transformers cavern, and the relocated Karakoram Highway (KKH-I). He reviewed the ongoing construction progress across 15 active work fronts. WAPDA officials informed him that the upstream starter dam, now standing at 798 feet above mean sea level, has successfully diverted floodwaters through its tunnels. Work continues on slope stabilization, excavation, and tunnel breakthroughs, with all seven tunnels of KKH-I now completed. Additionally, land acquisition for the project has been finalized.
Read More: CDWP Approves 12 Development Projects Valued at Rs. 187 Billion
Chairman Ghani highlighted WAPDA’s investment of Rs17.34 billion in resettlement, environmental management, and social development, urging project management to address local grievances promptly.
The 4,320 MW Dasu Hydropower Project will be completed in two stages. Stage-I, currently under construction, is expected to generate 12 billion units of clean electricity annually, while Stage-II will contribute an additional 9 billion units. Once fully operational, Dasu is set to become Pakistan’s largest hydropower producer, delivering a total of 21 billion units of electricity annually.
