Diamer-Bhasha Dam HM-1 contract signed at Rs133.18 billion

A contract worth Rs133.18 billion has been signed for the HM-1 package of the Diamer-Bhasha Dam, according to a report by Independent News Pakistan.

The outlet published the figure in a brief report but did not name the contractor, the department or officials who signed the agreement, or the date on which work under the package is expected to begin. It also did not describe what the HM-1 package covers.

No other outlet carried the report, and Skardu Times could not independently confirm the agreement, the value of the contract or the parties to it.

Diamer-Bhasha is one of Pakistan's largest planned water-storage and hydropower schemes, sited on the Indus in Diamer district of Gilgit-Baltistan. The project has been under discussion for years as part of the country's effort to add storage capacity and generate electricity, and its construction has been watched closely in the districts upstream and downstream of the site.

Contracts of this size on the dam are typically announced by the executing agency and involve a lengthy procurement process, but Wednesday's report gave no account of how the HM-1 package was awarded or which firms took part in the bidding.

The report did not say whether the agreement covers civil works, equipment supply or installation, and it did not indicate how the Rs133.18 billion is to be financed or drawn down.

Because the source material is limited to a single short report, this story will be updated if the executing agency, the government or the contracting parties issue a statement setting out the details of the award.