Construction work at Pakistan’s 1846MW Chasma hydro power project is due for completion in March 1999, and to meet the deadline companies have stepped up the pace of work, according to the Pakistan Water & Power Development Authority. Contractor Hundai of Japan is said to have increased its staff at the site to meet the deadline.

The project’s original completion date was 1994, but various delays have stretched the construction schedule by more than five years and the plant is now expected to begin electricity production in 2000.

The project has been partly funded by the Asian Development Bank and by Citi Bank of Japan, who together have provided 60% of the Rs10B investment required. Electricity generated by the project will be sold at a price of 15paisa per kWh.