4500 MW Diamer-Bhasha Dam Project

Pakistan Water and Power Development Authority planned to develop 4500 MW Diamer-Bhasha Dam Project, in Kohistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Diamer-Bhasha Consultants Group was the project consultant. The DBCG joint venture comprises 12 top-ranked national and foreign consulting firms: Nespak (Pakistan), Associate Consulting Engineers (Pakistan), Mott MacDonald Pakistan, Poyry (Switzerland), Montgomery Watson and Harza (MWH) International-Stantec (USA), Dolsar Engineering (Turkey), Mott McDonald International (England), China Water Resources Beifang Investigation, Design and Research Company (China), Mirza Associates Engineering Services (Pakistan), Al-Kasib Group of Engineering Services (Pakistan), Development Management Consultant (Pakistan) and MWH Pakistan, with Nespak as the lead firm. JV of China Power and Frontier Works Organisation was the construction contractor. The project was proposed to be constructed on the Indus River. The site was 315 km upstream of Tarbela Dam Project, some 180 km below the town of Gilgit and 40 km downstream of Chilas, the headquarter of District Diamer in Gilgit-Baltistan. The project was an eight million acre feet (MAF) reservoir with 272-metre height. The construction period was 103 months. Upon completion, the project would be the tallest roller compact concrete (RCC) dam in the world. The project was estimated to help alleviate acute irrigation shortage in the Indus basin and help local residents.