World Bank approves a $1 billion loan for Pakistan’s key hydropower project

ISLAMABAD (AP) — The World Bank has approved $1 billion for the construction of Pakistan’s biggest Dasu hydropower project, which is being built in the country’s northwest with China’s help. The bank said Tuesday the project will contribute to “greening” the energy sector and lowering the cost of electricity. The dam is being built in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province bordering Afghanistan, and once completed, it will have an installed capacity of 4,320 to 5,400 megawatts. Thousands of Chinese have been working on the Dasu dam and other projects related to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. Some have been attacked in recent years by militants who accuse them of plundering mineral resources.