ISLAMABAD: At an estimated cost of Rs23 billion, the government has chosen to fix the defective section of the Headrace Tunnel (HRT) of the 969-megawatt Neelum-Jhelum Hydropower Project (NJHP). This decision would prevent the project from connecting to the national grid for an additional eight months.
International consultant James Stevenson informed a meeting led by Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal on the prime minister’s orders that rebuilding the entire HRT would cost over Rs222 billion and could take a few years to finish.
The faults, however, were located inside the tunnel between kilometers 13 and 16, which were accessible by adits (horizontal access). It would take eight months and roughly Rs23 billion to fortify the impacted area using “concrete lining.” According to Mr. Stevenson, lining the problematic area with concrete was a smart and financially feasible solution.
Officials predict that the closure of the Rs500 billion Neelum-Jhelum Hydropower Project, which formally suspended operations on May 2, will cause direct losses of more than Rs55 billion annually.
Depending on the fuel source, indirect losses from the requirement for costly replacement fuel might be anywhere between Rs90 billion and Rs150 billion. In the past, the project generated more than 50 billion clean energy units a year with no fuel expense.
According to informed sources, the water sector quarters were still attempting to shield certain officials who might have contributed to the issue during the construction phase 15 years ago or who might have been accountable for the lapse, omission, or commission. They continued to work on the project and offered technical support for the inquiry.
An official statement following the meeting stated, “The experts recommended steps to fix blockages and structural damages inside the tunnels.” “Directed the concerned authorities to expedite repair work and develop a detailed plan based on scientific studies that could be able to justify the costs spent on the projects,” the statement continued.
In order to ensure long-term stability and return on investment, he emphasized that the corrective action must offer a lasting answer. The 969MW project in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, close to Muzaffarabad, is crucial for meeting Pakistan’s energy demands. It has generated more than 20,030 million units of power since it began in 2018.
However, recent structural issues in the Head Race Tunnel of the project have caused brief power outages. An international panel of experts, which included a well-known geologist from Pakistan, was brought in to address these problems by determining their root causes and offering potential remedies.
Ironically, it is thought that last year, an independent panel of experts voiced concerns about the project’s HRT and suggested preventive measures that were not put into place before it was shut down in May of this year after only a few weeks of operation.
Due to significant cracks in its 3.5km Tailrace Tunnel (TRT), the project was earlier suspended in July 2022. Over the course of the following 13 months, the TRT was repaired. In August-September 2023, power generation resumed, reaching its peak capacity of 969 MW on March 29, according to the Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda).
On April 3, a week after the project was brought back to full capacity by foreign contractors due to HRT cracks, the 48-kilometer HRT lost pressure, and power generation reduced to roughly 400MW.
They said that although the Wapda management and the project authorities and contractors attempted internal emergency steps to salvage the project, the defect was more severe than expected, and the facility was eventually shut down.
About Rs6 billion was spent on the 3.5 km TRT’s initial repairs, and an additional Rs37 billion was lost in energy costs over the next 20 months for testing, maintenance, and repairs.
The expert mentioned that independent experts had identified a significant geographical fault on the major boundary thrust during their investigation of the Tailrace Tunnel collapse in July 2022.
Chairman Wapda, the secretary of water resources, and other attendees also attended the meeting and spoke about the difficulties Diamer Bhasha Dam faces. The minister ordered that land-related matters be resolved immediately, stressing that the government owns almost 18,000 acres and that the remaining land, for which payment has already been made, must be turned over to the Water and Power Development Authority in order to start the project.
He directed Gilgit-Baltistan’s chief secretary to provide a report on the formal transfer of this territory within a month.
