Electricity generation from Dasu hydropower scheduled to commence in 2026
Pakistan’s Water and Power Development Authority has updated on the status of its Dasu Hydropower Project, saying electricity generation is scheduled to commence in 2026.
With total installed capacity of 4,320 MW, the Dasu project — on the Indus River in Upper Kohistan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa — is to be completed in two stages of 2,160 MW each. Construction work on 13 sites for stage 1 is progressing satisfactorily, WAPDA said.
In February 2023, WAPDA reported that a major milestone had been met, with river diversion enabled through completion of one of the two diversion tunnels.
Stage 1 will provide 12 billion units of electricity, while Stage 2 will contribute 9 billion units clean, green and low-cost hydroelectricity to the National Grid every year.
The Dasu hydroelectric project is part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a $65 billion investment plan aiming at connecting western China to southern Pakistan as part of Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative.
Hydro Review first reported on the Dasu project in 2007, with WAPDA seeking bids for excavation of two exploratory adits for the project, which at that time had a proposed generating capacity of 3,712 MW. In 2020, WAPDA said the project would begin generation in 2024.