The construction of the Dasu Hydropower Project, an essential component of
Pakistan’s green energy plan, has achieved a significant milestone with the
successful diversion of the River Indus. The accomplishment follows the
completion of one of the two diversion tunnels that make up the Dasu
Hydropower Project’s diversion system. The River Indus is now flowing through a
1.33-kilometer tunnel with a width of 20 meters and a height of 23 meters,
leading to the initiation of construction activities on the project’s starter dam.
The Dasu Hydropower Project’s diversion system consists of two tunnels, Tunnel
A and Tunnel B. Tunnel B is complete and has the discharge capacity to divert the
river’s water during the current lean-flows season. The 1.5-kilometer-long Tunnel
A, which has a width of 20 meters and a height of 23 meters, will be ready by mid-
April to accommodate increased water flows during the high-flows season.
The 4,320 MW Dasu Hydropower Project is planned to be completed in two
stages. WAPDA is presently constructing Stage I, which has an installed generation
capacity of 2,160 MW and an annual energy generation of 12 billion units. Stage I
is expected to begin generating electricity in 2026. When implemented, Stage II,
which has a capacity of 2,160 MW, will generate an additional 9 billion units of
electricity for the national grid. On completion of both stages, Dasu will become
Pakistan’s largest annual energy generator, producing an average of 21 billion
units per annum.
