ISLAMABAD: Neelum-Jhelum Hydropower Project, with a capacity of 969 megawatts, resumed its power generation on Thursday. The project restarted its operation after more than a year of inactivity due to a fault in its tail race tunnel.
The project’s concept involves redirecting the Neelum River from Nauseri village through an underground tunnel system spanning 51.7 kilometers — a headrace tunnel of 48.2 kilometers and a tail race tunnel of 3.5 kilometers — leading to its outlet into the Jhelum River near Zaminabad village.
Having commenced its power generation with the commissioning of the first 242.25MW unit in April 2018, the project witnessed its highest installed capacity in August of the same year, upon the activation of all four units.
However, power generation ceased in July of the previous year due to a blockage from the collapse of a section of the tail race tunnel. Prior to the shutdown, the project had contributed over 18 billion units of electricity to the national grid, according to Wapda’s statement.
Federal Minister for Water Resources Syed Khursheed Ahmed Shah inaugurated the revival of electricity generation from the project by pressing a button and revealing a panel at the powerhouse site in Chattar Klas, located about 20 kilometers south of Muzaffarabad.
Federal Secretary of Water Resources Hassan Nasir Jamy, Wapda Chairman Sajjad Ghani, Joint Secretary of Water Resources Syed Mehar Ali Shah, and other officials accompanied Mr. Shah.
While touring different powerhouse sections, the minister received briefings from project officials. Following the incident, a Chinese construction company had been engaged to rectify the problem, under the guidance of consultants and international experts.
Mr. Shah’s media briefing regarding the hydropower project
Meanwhile, Sources indicated that the restoration work incurred costs of Rs3 billion.
In a brief interaction with the media, Mr. Shah commended Wapda, the project team, including contractors and consultants, for successfully completing the remedial work and reinstating power generation. He highlights the addition of 969 MW of electricity to the national grid, anticipating positive impacts on the energy sector. He also urges the Wapda chief ward bonuses to employees stationed at the project.
The minister asserts that progress had been made on several other ongoing hydropower projects over the past year and a half. He expressed hope that the subsequent government would ensure the timely completion of these projects to help the nation overcome the energy crisis.
