Agreement paves way for 132KV Dasu transmission line

LAHORE: The Wapda, civil administration of Hazara division and United Kohistan Jirga, comprising notables of three districts — Upper Kohistan, Lower Kohistan and Kolai Palas Kohistan — reached an agreement to implement a number of development schemes.

Most importantly, the agreement will pave the way for smooth execution and completion of a long-delayed 132 KV transmission line from the Duber hydel power station to Dasu, direly needed for a stable supply of electricity during the peak construction period of the Dasu hydropower project. In lieu of the development schemes by the Wapda, locals of the three districts will not create hindrances to construction of the transmission line, ensuring its smooth execution. The agreement was signed at a ceremony attended by Adviser to Prime Minister Engineer Amir Muqam, Wapda Chairman Lt-Gen Sajjad Ghani (Retd), Commissioner Hazara Division Mutaher Zeb, notables from the Kohistan region and senior officers of the Wapda.

According to the agreement, the Wapda will implement a score of schemes as confidence building measures under its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in consultation and with support of the civil administrations and locals. it will construct three hydel power stations of at least three megawatt including transmission, distribution lines in three districts of Kohistan. It will also construct one high school and one vocational training centre in each of three districts, besides re-constructing a high school in Seo, Upper Kohistan. Likewise, payment of electricity arrears payable by the local domestic consumers up to December 2022 to the PESCO, provision of Class-4 jobs to locals, preference to locals in other jobs, compensation to the affectees of the Duber Khwar transmission line in Pattan seri and Palas seri and house-hold package for the affectees of Keyal Khwar and Dasu Hydropower Project are amongst the salient features of the agreement. In return, the notables will ensure immediate resumption of construction work on the Duber-Dasu transmission line. The notables of districts Upper Kohistan, Lower Kohistan and Kolai Palas Kohistan will also ensure smooth execution of the transmission line till its completion.

The Wapda is constructing the 4320 MW Dasu Hydropower Project at River Indus in Upper Kohistan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The project is being completed in two stages. At present, the Wapda is constructing stage-I with installed generation capacity of 2160 MW and annual energy generation of 12 billion units of low-cost and environment-friendly electricity. The stage-II, when implemented, will also provide 9 billion units to the national grid. On completion of both stages, Dasu will become the project with highest annual energy generation in Pakistan i.e., 21 billion units on average.