Pakistan has secured a US$700m loan from the World Bank to finance the first phase of the 4,320 MW Dasu hydropower project on the main Indus river, in the Kohsitan district of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region. The credit line has a 25-year maturity including a 5-year grace period. It will finance the transmission line, which will connect the project to the Pakistani power grid.
The first phase of the Dasu hydropower project is developed by a joint venture between GE Hydro China and Power China Zhongnan Engineering Corporation for US$474m, including US$244m in foreign currency. In 2017, the Pakistan state-owned Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) secured a PKR144bn (US$933m) local currency loan from a consortium of seven Pakistani banks. In addition, it obtained a $350 million from Credit Suisse, using a World Bank’s partial credit guarantee.
The first stage of the project will consist of six 360 MW units (combined power generation capacity of 2,160 MW), that are expected to generate 12 TWh/year of electricity. Issues related to land acquisitions have been resolved, and construction work is ongoing. It includes the construction of right bank access roads, relocation of Karakoram Highway, construction of 132 kV transmission lines and grid stations to provide electricity from Duber Khwar Hydel power plant to the project. The first phase is expected to be commissioned in early 2025. The second 2,160 MW phase would generate an additional 9 TWh/year. According to the World Bank, the Dasu hydropower plant is expected to produce electricity at U$0.03/kWh compared to Pakistan’s current average cost of power generation of US$0.08/kWh
Interested in Power Plants?
Enerdata has developed a market research service to screen, monitor and analyse the development of power generation assets.
Power Plant Tracker offers an interactive database and a powerful search engine covering power plants worldwide – including both installed and planned capacities for renewables and fossil fuels.