ISLAMABAD: Around 80 per cent work has already been completed on the ongoing 969MW Neelum-Jhelum Hydropower Project (NJHP) with the cost of over Rs250 billion and its first unit will start supplying power to the national grid system in by July 2017.
Official sources told the state-owned news agency that the civil works of the both underground powerhouse and transformers hall of the project would also be completed in October, as progress of civil works on these components stood at 95.5 and 99 per cent respectively. They said Unit 3 and 4 of the power house had already been handed over to the electro-mechanical contractor after completion of civil works.
The civil works of the switchyard has substantially been completed, while electrical and mechanical works would also be completed by October, they said. The sources said construction work on all three sites namely C1, C2 and C3 was moving ahead at a good pace. The progress on C1-C2 and C3 was 78 per cent, 80 per cent and 83 per cent respectively, they said. They said out of total 68.6 kilometre, 62 kilometres long tunnels have so far been excavated.
The 68km tunnel system involved 19.6km stretch of headrace twin tunnels and ten access tunnels. The intake of the project is Nauseri, 41km east of Muzaffarabad and power house located near Chattar Kalas, around 22km south of downstream Muzaffarabad. As per revised schedule, first generating unit of the project would be completed in July 2017, whereas the remaining three units would come on line by the end of 2017 in various phases. The project involved three river diversions at different times and maximum overburden of the project was around 1.7km, meaning that the highest mountain peak over the project was 1.7km. Around 1,443 Chinese workers and 200 local staff were currently working on the site and a few other experts from the UK, US and other nationalities.
The project, on its completion, will contribute 5.15 billion units of low-cost and environment friendly electricity to the national grid.
