Pakistan has agreed to pay US$45M to the Impregilio lead consortium constructing the Ghazi Barotha dam hydro power project. The payment requires the consortium to resume construction of the Ghazi Barotha Hydropower Project, within one month.

The agreement currently being drafted by the lawyers would be subject to approval of the World Bank and the Economic Coordination Committee of the cabinet.

The contractor consortium submitted claims worth US$70M after the suspension of work following the Sept 11 attacks on the US World Trade Centre, but WAPDA initially offered US$25M to the consortium.

The US$2.5B Ghazi Barotha project is already behind its schedule by more than two years.