Pakistan: Balakot Hydropower Development Project

approved

The Project will comprise construction of a 300-MW run-of-river hydropower plant located on the Kunhar River in Mansehra District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province (KPK), Pakistan. Upon completion, the Project will (i) improve energy security by increasing the clean energy share in the country's energy mix currently dominated by thermal power generation, (ii) boost the provincial economy and promote revenue generating investments in the hydro abundant KPK, and (iii) build capacity and awareness of climate change impacts, adaptation, and mitigation measures. The Project also includes training and livelihood skill development activities for local communities, particularly women, in the surrounding areas and promotion of gender mainstreaming.