Pakistan's 4320MW Dasu hydroelectric project to get WB funding

The World Bank will help fund the development of Pakistan's 4320MW Dasu hydroelectric project on the Indus River.

This comes after the signing of an agreement between the World Bank and the government of Pakistan for providing $840 million for the 1,410-megawatt Tarbela 4th Extension Project

It has also been agreed that the project will be constructed in phases after work on the 4,500MW Diamer-Bhasha Dam is initiated and its financial plan is finalised.

The Dasu project is located downstream tothe Diamer-Bhasha dam project in Pakistan.

Pakistan’s Water and Power Development Authority noted that the project will be built in phases following completion of plans for Diamer-Bhasha, which remains WAPDA’s priority project.

The World Bank funding, of which the amount has not yet been disclosed, is to be used to complete detailed engineering design for Dasu. This design, together with tender documents, are expected to be completed in early 2013.

Water and Power Development Authority Chairman Shakil Durrani said international financial institutions were taking keen interest in providing funds for Wapda projects due to excellent ‘economic internal rate of return’ of these schemes.

The Dasu project is part of the least-cost energy production plan of Wapda aimed at harnessing the country’s hydropower resources to improve the share of hydroelectricity in energy mix.

The project will generate 21.3 billion units of electricity per annum and will also have positive impact on existing hydropower stations including Tarbela, Ghazi Barotha and Chashma.

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