BEIJING: A Chinese-engineered hydropower project added another milestone to Pakistan’s renewable energy landscape on Saturday as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Muhammad Sohail Afridi formally inaugurated the 40.8-megawatt Koto Hydropower Project (KHPP) in Lower Dir district. The plant, developed with support from a Chinese-Pakistani engineering consortium, has begun supplying power to the National Grid after achieving commercial operation earlier this year.
The run-of-river project is expected to generate 207 gigawatt-hours of affordable electricity annually and produce an estimated Rs2.4 billion in revenue for the province, according to the Pakhtunkhwa Energy Development Organization (PEDO).
During a project briefing, Chief Minister Afridi said clean and low-cost energy projects would be “crucial for employment generation and industrial development across the region,” adding that KP’s hydropower potential remained one of its strongest economic assets.
Koto HPP reached its Commercial Operation Date in August 2025. The Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) contract was executed by the Sichuan–Sarwar–Silian–Chongqing Luyang Joint Venture, a China-Pakistan consortium responsible for civil, mechanical and electrical works.
Construction on Koto HPP began in 2015 with an original completion target of 2020. Progress slowed due to security concerns, COVID-19 travel restrictions and delays in importing key electro-mechanical equipment. By 2022, more than 90 percent of work had been completed, paving the way for final testing and synchronization in 2025.
Koto HPP is the third hydropower project completed by PEDO this year, following the 10.2 MW Jabori Hydropower Project in Mansehra and the 11.8 MW Karora Hydropower Project in Shangla. PEDO officials said several other small hydropower schemes, mostly being developed by Chinese companies and ranging from 1 MW to 15 MW, are also under construction in remote valleys to supply off-grid and rural communities.
China remains Pakistan’s largest hydropower development partner, delivering a steady pipeline of both CPEC and non-CPEC clean-energy projects. Major Chinese-built plants already online include the 884 MW Suki Kinari Hydropower Project in KP and the 720 MW Karot Hydropower Project in Punjab. Several major schemes are also under construction, notably the 300 MW Balakot Hydropower Project, a flagship non-CPEC initiative being built by China Gezhouba Group Company Limited (CGGC), a core member of China Energy Engineering Group. China is additionally involved in Pakistan’s largest hydropower megastructures, including the 4,500 MW Diamer-Basha Hydropower Project, where Chinese firms are working alongside Pakistani partners on dam construction and high-altitude civil works.
Chinese contractors are also engaged in major construction and equipment packages on the 800MW Mohmand Hydropower Project, the 4320MW Dasu Hydropower Project, and the 1530MW Tarbela 5th Extension, strengthening Pakistan’s long-term shift toward indigenous, clean energy. –Agencies
