969 megawatt Neelum Jhelum project partially closed after Rs 510 billion repairs
Electricity from the plant August. Regeneration began during September and reached peak capacity of 969 MW on 29 March
During a week on April 3, after the pressure drop in the 48 km long Head race tunnel, the power production dropped to 400 MW, Water and Power Development Authority.
The Prime Minister has not been informed about the matter till now, due to the partial closure of the project, critical power units are being lost daily, sources said.
Dropping generation to 530 MW is a precautionary measure to monitor pressure fluctuations, WAPDA officials
Power generation will be increased gradually after further analysis and consultation with project experts, a WAPDA spokesperson said
The hydropower project was shut down for 13 months in July 2022 after major cracks appeared in the 3.5 km tail race tunnel.
ISLAMABAD ( Web News )
The 969 MW Neelum-Jehlum Hydropower Project, which is undergoing repair phase for a long period of 20 months and costing Rs 510 billion, has been partially shut down once again. 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 Water and Power Development Authority, electricity from the plant in August. Generation started again during September and reached peak capacity of 969 MW on 29 March. After a week on April 3, the 48-km-long headrace tunnel suffered a pressure drop, power generation dropped to 400 MW. According to a private TV source, the project authorities and contractors, with the advice of the WAPDA management, immediately tried to restore the plant with available resources, but the deficit was beyond the estimate, even though power was being generated to the required level. It was on. According to an official, a remote-controlled vehicle at a cost of Rs 6 billion needs to be procured from abroad to assess the damage and possibly make immediate repairs. He said that the Prime Minister has not been informed about this matter till now, due to the partial closure of the project, critical power units are being lost daily. 6 billion was incurred on the repair of the tailrace tunnel earlier, apart from the 37 billion in energy losses incurred during repairs, maintenance and testing. WAPDA filed an insurance claim of around Rs 43 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 that 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 taken during the monitoring, and that the project’s 51.5 km tunnel system needs to be reviewed. WAPDA had announced on March 29 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 tail race tunnel.