The Mohmand hydropower project in Pakistan, constructed by China Gezhouba Group No. 3 Engineering Co., Ltd., a CEEC subsidiary, achieved river closure on August 16, local time.

This marks the project construction entering the fast lane and approaching the filling stage of the main dam.

Located on the Swat River, 48 kilometers north of Peshawar in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan, trucks continued to deposit sand and gravel aggregates at the river's mouth. The river water was successfully diverted into the tunnel, effectively intercepting the flow for the Mohmand hydropower project.

Pakistani government officials, military representatives, Chinese and Pakistani media, and project builders were present to witness this momentous occasion.

During the ceremony, Asim Rauf, the project director and a senior official from the project employer of Pakistan Water and Power Development Authority, commended the professionalism and excellent ability of CEEC in constructing the project.

He emphasized that this project will be a game-changer, significantly boosting Pakistan's power supply capacity, improving the lives of its people, and injecting new impetus into the country's economic development.

The Pakistani government will continue to fully back the project's construction to ensure it is completed and put into use on schedule, he said.

The Mohmand hydropower project is a flagship project funded by the Pakistani government. With a maximum dam height of 213 meters and an installed capacity of 800,000 kilowatts, it will feature four mixed-flow units, each with a single capacity of 200,000 kilowatts.

It is not only the tallest concrete-faced dam under construction by China Gezhouba Group No. 3 Engineering Co., Ltd. overseas but also the sixth tallest concrete face dam in the world.

This multipurpose project serves as a facility for flood control, power generation, irrigation, and water supply, among others. At the project’s peak, it created nearly 6,000 local job opportunities.

Once operational, the project will generate an average of 2.862 billion kilowatt-hours of clean electricity annually, adding 16,700 hectares of irrigated area and providing 140 million cubic meters of drinking water to local people, and it is estimated to yield an annual economic benefit of approximately 2.58 billion yuan (about $361.76 million).