NJHP unit-1 begins power supply to national grid; unit-4 facing delays

LAHORE: Following completion of its reliability test and adjustments thereafter, unit-1 of Neelum-Jhelum Hydropower Project (NJHP) on Friday started providing electricity to the national grid, however unit-4 is facing delay in operations.

Unit-1 will contribute 242.25 megawatt at its full capacity to the system for one month (reliability period) after which its commercial operation will commence.

In yet another significant development, unit-2 of the project has also undergone mechanical run tests starting May 16. This unit is expected to be synchronised with the national grid during next week for power generation on trial basis.

The unit-4 of the project, which was put into operation during April, injected more than 1.3 million units of electricity during test run. However, during the tests of this unit, the “run outs” exceeded the specifications.

Consultants of the project have concluded that for operation for its designated life, its “labyrinth” and “lower sleeve” should be replaced with new ones, for which the contractor has placed the order on the manufacturer namely Harbin China. This unit is scheduled to go into operation in next three to four months.

It is worth noting that Neelum-Jhelum has injected over 23 million units into the national grid so far.

NJHP is a component of hydro-development plan, being implemented by WAPDA on priority to tap indigenous hydropower potential aimed at improving the ratio of hydropower in the system.

State-of-the-art NJHP has been constructed on River Neelum in Azad Jammu and Kashmir. A 60 meter high and 160 meter long composite dam has been constructed at Nauseri to divert water to an underground power house for power generation near Chattar Kalas though a water way system that consists of 52km long tunnels.

A 525 Kilo Volt switchyard and transmission line have also been completed for evacuation of power. The national grid will receive about five billion units of electricity from the NJHP on average every year. Annual benefits of the project stand at Rs55 billion.