WASHINGTON: The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors has approved an additional $1 billion in financing for the DASU Hydropower Stage I (DHP I) Project in Pakistan. This funding aims to enhance the hydropower electricity supply, improve access to socio-economic services for local communities, and strengthen the Water and Power Development Authority’s (WAPDA) capacity for future hydro-power projects.
“Pakistan’s energy sector faces significant challenges in achieving affordable, reliable, and sustainable energy,” said Najy Benhassine, World Bank Country Director for Pakistan. “The DASU Hydropower Project site is one of the world’s best hydropower locations and a transformative project for Pakistan’s energy sector. With a minimal environmental footprint, the DHP will help green the energy sector and reduce electricity costs.”
The DHP is a run-of-river project on the Indus River, approximately 8 km from Dasu Town, the capital of Upper Kohistan District in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province. Once completed, it will have an installed capacity of 4,320–5,400 MW. The project is being constructed in stages, with DHP-I having a capacity of 2,160 MW and generating 12,225 gigawatt hours (GWh) per year of low-cost renewable energy. DHP-II will add 9,260–11,400 GWh per year from the same dam.
The additional financing will also support ongoing socio-economic initiatives in Upper Kohistan, focusing on education, health, employment, and transport.
Since 2012, this project has contributed to a 30 percent increase in adult literacy, a 16 percent increase in boys’ schooling, and a 70 percent increase in girls’ schooling.
![Local residents at the Swat River, which is overflowing due to pre-monsoon heavy rains in the area on the outskirts of Mingora, the main town of Pakistan's Swat Valley [Sherin Zada/AP]](https://mmnews.tv/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Flooding-in-Swat-river-350x250.jpg)
