WAPDA receives 5 Joint Ventures for construction of main Diamer Basha dam

December 19, 2018: As many as five Joint Ventures (JVs) of foreign and local firms have submitted the prequalification applications for construction of main dam and appurtenant structures of Diamer Basha project.

The JVs for construction of the main dam and structures were under evaluation, adding that work on the project would likely to start in first quarter of the next year. The procurement of consultants for the project was also under process.

Around 90 percent land had already been acquired for construction of Diamer Basha Dam and about Rs 90 billion have been paid to owners against the acquired land, while 10 percent remaining land will soon be acquired after the payment of Rs 60 billion.

Diamer Bhasha Dam is a multipurpose project aiming at water storage, flood mitigation and power generation. The project will be constructed across River Indus about 40-kilometer downstream of Chillas town. The 272-meter high Roller Compacted Concrete (RCC) Dam will have a gross water storage capacity of 8.1 million acre feet (MAF).

The project will generate 4500 megawatt of electricity with annual energy generation of more than 18 billion units of low-cost and environment friendly electricity.

With construction of Diamer Basha Dam Project, the life of Tarbela Dam will enhance to another 35 years. It will also have a positive impact on the annual energy generation of the projects in the downstream areas.

(APP)