31 May 2009 - Pakistan has invited international bids for the construction of Diamer Bhasha hydroelectric dam project.
The hydro-electric dam will be built at a cost of $12.6bn. Upon completion the dam will add 4500 MW of hydro-power to the national grid and will take seven to eight years to go into operation.
The NEC (National Economic Council) has approved $1.5bn toward the construction of the dam.
The power generated from the project will add 30 per cent to Pakistan's current available generation capacity and has the potential to significantly reduce thermal power reliance and average generation cost.
The project is said to be located in a mountainous, earthquake-prone area.