The Indus River was redirected at the location of the Dasu hydropower project, and Stage 1 of the project is expected to begin producing electricity in 2026.
DASSU KOHISTAN: One of the two diversion tunnels at the still-under-construction Dasu hydropower project in Kohistan District, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, was successfully finished, diverting the Indus River (K-P).
The river is currently running via a 1.33 km long diversion tunnel that is 20 m wide and 23 m tall, as opposed to following its natural route.
As a result, work has begun on the starter dam of the Dasu hydroelectric project, which will eventually lead to the construction of the main dam.
The project’s general manager and project director, as well as a number of engineers and workers, contractors’ and consultants’ representatives, were there as the huge river was diverted.
Lt. General (ret.) Sajjad Ghani, chairman of the Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda), commended the project management team for reaching this milestone.
Two tunnels, tunnel A and tunnel B, make up the Dasu hydropower project’s diversion system. The latter of them is finished and has a discharge capacity large enough to redirect water away from the Indus River during the present lean-flows season.
By mid-April of this year, the 1.5 km long, 20 m wide, and 23 m high tunnel A will also be completed in order to accommodate the higher water flows during the high-flow season.
The project is an essential part of WAPDA’s aim for generating clean, green, and affordable electricity.
The 4320 MW-Dasu hydropower project will be finished in two phases, according to the plan.
WAPDA is currently building stage-I, which will have an installed generation capacity of 2160 MW and an annual energy production of 12 billion units. It is anticipated that electricity production will begin in 2026.
When put into use, the 2160 MW stage-II will additionally add nine billion units to the national grid.
When both phases are finished, Dasu will have Pakistan’s highest annual energy production rate (ie 21 billion units per annum on average).
