Pakistan will have surplus power by early 2018, reiterates Asif

Signs contracts worth Rs179b with Chinese firm for main civil works on Dasu dam

ISLAMABAD: Federal Water and Power Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif has reaffirmed the commitment to ending electricity outages in early 2018 as Pakistan will be producing surplus power by that time.

Speaking at the signing ceremony of two contracts, MW-01 worth Rs115 billion and MW-02 valuing Rs64.4 billion, with China Gezhouba Group Company (CGGC) for main civil works on the Dasu hydroelectric power project, Asif emphasised the government’s resolve to optimally utilise hydroelectric power resources of the country in order to produce low-cost electricity, eliminate load-shedding and provide relief to the people.



“Dasu power project is a manifestation of this commitment,” he said, praising the Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) for its efforts to harness water and hydroelectric power resources in the country.

He said work had started on both Dasu and Diamer Bhasha dams and the situation would improve after completion of the two projects. Power generation capacity of Dasu dam will double after completion of work on Bhasha dam.

Asif said the Neelum-Jhelum hydroelectric power project would start generating electricity in 2018 and the government had targeted to add 10,400 megawatts of electricity to the national grid by that time.

“Pakistan has a solution if India tries to violate the Indus Waters Treaty,” he declared in apparent reference to the two controversial dams India was building in Kashmir.



Earlier, Wapda Chairman Lieutenant General (Retired) Muzammil Hussain, in his remarks, said: “Today is an important day for the Dasu power project and CGGC should complete contract works within the stipulated time frame keeping in view the quality specified for the project.”

The contract for MW-01, which will be completed in about five years, includes construction of the main dam, appurtenant structures and hydraulic steel structures.

The contract for MW-02 comprises construction of an underground power complex, tunnels and hydraulic structures.

The Dasu project, with planned power production capacity of 4,320MW, is being developed by Wapda on Indus River upstream of Dasu town in Kohistan district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

This is a vital project not only for Pakistan, but also for Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. It will stabilise the national economy by providing low-cost electricity, besides ushering in a new era of socio-economic development in backward and far-off areas of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.



The project will be developed in two stages - each having generation capacity of 2,160MW.

The World Bank is partially funding construction of stage-I whereas a major chunk of finances is being arranged by Wapda from its own resources along with sovereign guarantees from the government of Pakistan.

Stage-I will be completed in almost five years and contribute more than 12 billion units of electricity per annum. Stage-II will provide another 9 billion units of electricity every year.