'False and misleading': Govt denies cancelling 4,500MW power component of Diamer-Bhasha Dam

Business Recorder reported that the Ministry of Economic Affairs strongly rejected claims that the 4,500 MW generation element of Diamer-Bhasha had been scrapped. The ministry called those reports false and misleading, saying the project remains a national priority covering water storage and hydropower. It added that the power facilities have not been dropped and that planning is ongoing with WAPDA and other relevant ministries.

On the social media platform X, the Power Division also dismissed the report, describing the generation component as a committed project in current and future planning documents. The division further said new IPP business has permanently closed in Pakistan since a free electricity market was set up, and called any link to the dam unfounded. It urged people to verify facts before sharing such material.

The Diamer-Bhasha Dam is a hydropower and water storage project being built on the Indus, roughly 40 km downstream from Chilas town. Its completion was first set for 2029, then given as 2028 in December 2023, before being moved to 2030 in February 2026.