After a year’s hiatus, ISLAMABAD’s 969-megawatt Neelum-Jhelum Hydropower Project (NJHP) is back online after undergoing restoration work on its tail race tunnel.
Electricity generating at the power plant was relaunched with a visit by Federal Water Resources Minister Khursheed Ahmed Shah.
It was reported on July 4, 2022, that the Neelum-Jhelum facility had become dysfunctional due to a malfunction. After being successfully activated in 2018, the project has now generated 18.28 billion units of electricity.
On July 4, however, with the plant operating at full capacity (969MW), an abnormal rise in water leakage was noted; this was managed with continuous drainage pumps, and an investigation into the source of the excessive leakage was initiated.
The project’s leadership and consultants got together on July 5 for an urgent meeting to assess the situation and identify the source of the excessive water loss.
An aberrant pressure of 616m, as opposed to the typical 600m, was measured in the tailrace tunnel (TRT). The project consultants also mentioned that an abnormal pressure of 616m had been measured in the TRT, which normally stays below 600 meter.
As a result, we shut off one unit, bringing the pressure down to 608m, to observe how TRT would react. The consultants suggested a TRT pressure of less than 604m. In this way, the burden was lightened bit by bit.
On July 6, it was discovered that the anomalous rise in pressure and water leakages/seepage were caused by a blockage in TRT, and the power house was shut down as a result for the safety of the building and all other equipment.
Dewatering began on July 10 once the necessary preparation had been made (the bulkhead gates were lowered using a mobile crane, the dewatering pumps were tested, etc.). The tunnel was inspected once dewatering was finished up to the major collapse site (293m).
In addition to other damages, “it was found that tunnel is fully blocked in 42m portion (between 251m and 293m),” the report stated.
M/s China Gezhouba Group Company (CGGC), the contractor for construction of civil works, was enlisted to begin repairs immediately following the event. On August 25, the company and contractor signed a contract and the contractor began mobilizing at the site. According to the article, efforts to revive the plant continue around the clock.
According to the findings, 17 different consultancies were sought out. Nearly every company that was contacted about the urgent need to investigate the problem’s origins declined to provide their services.
The inter-ministerial committee agreed on August 25 that the ministerial committee should instead hire the Independent Panel of Experts (IPoEs) rather than consulting firms.
The New Jersey Hydropower Project (NJHP) began producing electricity in April 2018. The plan calls for the Neelum River to be redirected through a network of tunnels that eventually empty into the Jhelum.
