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Pakistan's first 765 kV transmission line enters stringing phase

Pakistan's first 765 kV transmission line enters stringing phase

Built World

Dasu–Islamabad line advances past tower erection amid funding delays and fraud probes

Today: Stringing begins on Dasu–Islamabad line

Overview

Updated 1 hour ago

Construction crews have started pulling conductors across the towers of Pakistan's first 765 kV transmission line. The Dasu–Islamabad project will carry electricity from the Dasu hydropower complex in the mountainous north to the national grid near the capital.

The milestone arrives six years after the government approved the Rs132.25 billion project, with roughly Rs105.6 billion already spent. The line now sits under Senate scrutiny over hiring and procurement changes, and fraud investigators have been called in.

Why it matters

If the 765 kV line slips further, hydro power from the Dasu dam stays stranded and Pakistan's grid keeps depending on imported fuel.

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Key Indicators

765 kV
Voltage of Pakistan's first such line
The country's high-voltage network has operated at 500 kV; this is the first 765 kV line.
Rs132.25B
Approved project budget
ECNEC approved the project on Oct 1, 2020, with Rs112.229 billion in foreign aid and Rs30.021 billion local.
$654.5M
Value of key project contracts
World Bank documents list three key contracts totaling US$654.5 million.
46%
Physical progress on Dasu–Mansehra leg
Lot-I of the route stood at 46% physical progress as of late September 2026, with 60 of 179 towers erected.

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People Involved

SA
Senator Saifullah Abro
Chairman, Senate Standing Committee on Economic Affairs
Leading Senate scrutiny of the project

Organizations Involved

NT
National Transmission and Despatch Company (NTDC)
State-owned grid operator
Implements the transmission component

Pakistan's state-owned high-voltage grid operator, owner of the network the new line will feed.
National Grid
National Grid
Electricity transmission operator
Set and revised type-testing requirements

The entity that set the project's type-testing requirements for towers and equipment.
World Bank Group
World Bank Group
International financial institution
Primary funder of the transmission component

Funds the transmission component of the Dasu Hydropower Stage I Project.
PD
Power Division, Government of Pakistan
Federal ministry
Administers the project and releases development funds

The ministry with administrative control of the project under the PSDP release mechanism.
SC
Sinohydro Corporation of China
Construction contractor
Lot-I contractor, Dasu–Mansehra leg

China-based contractor awarded the 157-km Dasu–Mansehra section of the route.

Timeline

October 2020 October 2026

6 events Latest: Today
Tap a bar to jump to that date

  1. Stringing begins on Dasu–Islamabad line

    Today Milestone

    Crews began pulling conductors across towers, a key step to energizing the corridor.

  2. Senate panel flags funding delays

    Oversight

    Senate committee expressed concern over delays in foreign-funded projects and pressed for faster fund releases.

  3. Dasu–Mansehra leg reaches 46% progress

    Progress

    Lot-I hit 46% physical progress with 60 of 179 towers erected; completion moved to June 2028.

  4. Senate directs FIA, NAB to investigate

    Investigation

    Senate committee directed fraud agencies to probe alleged irregularities and sunken tower foundations.

  5. World Bank loan closing extended

    Funding

    Economic Affairs Division requested 13-month extension of the IBRD loan closing date to June 30, 2025.

  6. ECNEC approves Rs132.25 billion project

    Approval

    Executive Committee of the National Economic Council approved the Dasu–Islamabad line, largely World Bank-funded.

Scenarios

1

Dasu–Islamabad 765 kV line energized by mid-2028

Possible Resolves by Q2 2028

Discussed by: Project officials and the World Bank, which set a June 2028 completion target for the Dasu–Mansehra leg

If fund releases accelerate and the NAB/FIA probe does not halt work, crews finish the remaining towers, stringing completes, testing passes, and the line energizes in time to feed Dasu's first units. The Mansehra leg's current 46% progress would need to roughly double over the next 20 months.

2

Fraud probes force contractor changes and fresh delays

Unlikely Resolves by Q2 2027

Discussed by: Senate Economic Affairs Committee members who directed FIA and NAB to investigate

If investigations into tower foundation sinking, type-testing rule changes, and contractor eligibility produce formal findings, contracts could be re-tendered or the revised testing requirements reversed — halting construction for months.

3

Slow fund releases push completion past 2028

Possible Resolves by End of 2028

Discussed by: Ministry of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives, which has pressed the Power Division to release earmarked funds

As of September 18, 2026, only Rs122.30 million of the Rs5.829 billion rupee cover for 2026-27 had reached the project. If the release bottleneck persists, contractors slow or suspend work and the line misses its 2028 target — extending a project already behind its contractual June 2026 date.

Historical Context

2 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

2003–2010

Three Gorges Dam transmission build-out (2003–2010)

When China completed the Three Gorges Dam, its roughly 22,500 MW of capacity forced the country to build a new web of high-voltage lines to carry power from the Yangtze gorge to coastal cities. The dam's remote location made the transmission lines as essential as the dam itself.

Then

China built multiple 500 kV corridors out of the Three Gorges region to move the new power to demand centers.

Now

The experience fueled China's ultra-high-voltage program, now the world's largest transmission backbone.

Why this matters now

Dasu poses the same problem: a large dam in difficult terrain is useless without a corridor to move its power — and that corridor is the 765 kV line now under stringing.

2017–2021

Matiari–Lahore HVDC line (2017–2021)

Pakistan's first high-voltage direct-current line, built under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, stretches 878 km from Matiari in Sindh to Lahore, moving southern power to the demand-heavy northeast.

Then

The line was completed in 2021 and now carries around 4,000 MW.

Now

It showed Pakistan's grid could absorb a major modern transmission asset delivered on schedule.

Why this matters now

The 765 kV Dasu–Islamabad line is the second step in that modernization — an AC backbone designed for northern hydro rather than southern thermal power.

Sources

(9)
+3
Energy Update Minute Mirror The Nation INP / WealthPK Green Post Lok Sujag World Bank The Nation INP / WealthPK