969 MW Neelum Jhelum project partially suspended again

Muzaffarabad: The 969 MW Neelum-Jehlum Hydropower Project, which was undergoing a 20-month-long repair phase at a cost of Rs510 billion, was once again partially shut down.

According to the media reports, the project was restored to full capacity a few days ago.

The hydropower project was shut down for 13 months in July 2022 after major cracks appeared in the 3.5-km Tail Race Tunnel (TRT).

According to the Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA), electricity from the plant started to be generated again during August and September and on March 29, it reached the maximum capacity of 969 MW.

After a week on April 3, the 48-km-long headrace tunnel suffered a pressure drop and power generation dropped to 400 MW.

It is reported that the project authorities and contractors, with the advice of the WAPDA management, immediately tried to restore the plant with available resources, however the deficit was beyond the estimate, even though power was being generated to the required level.

According to an official, a remote-controlled vehicle at a cost of Rs6 billion needs to be procured from abroad for damage assessment and possible immediate repairs.

He said that the Prime Minister has not been informed about this matter so far, due to the partial closure of the project, critical power units are being lost every day.

Even before this, Rs6 billion was spent on repairing the tail race tunnel, which is in addition to the Rs37 billion energy losses incurred during repairs, maintenance and testing.

WAPDA filed an insurance claim of around Rs43 billion and has already arranged several high-level meetings in this regard, according to reports.

When contacted, WAPDA confirmed the decrease in power generation due to low pressure in the head race tunnel, but refrained from giving the actual reason.

The authority said the reduction in generation to 530 MW is a precautionary measure to monitor pressure fluctuations.

According to the WAPDA spokesperson, the power generation will be increased gradually after further analysis and consultation with project experts.

He stressed that all possible repair measures were implemented during the monitoring, and that the project's 51.5 km tunnel system must be reviewed.

Earlier on March 29, WAPDA had announced that the hydropower plant has reached its full capacity of 969 MW and is providing power based on water availability.

Since commissioning in 2018, the project has generated 19.829 billion units so far, while 1.54 billion units of electricity have been generated since the repair of the tailrace tunnel.