PM orders urgent inquiry into Neelum-Jhelum project’s technical fault

Muzaffarabad – Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif instructed on Thursday an urgent investigation into the causes of the technical failure in the Neelum-Jhelum Hydropower Project (NJHP) that resulted in the suspension of power generation.

The prime minister delivered the directions during his day-long visit to Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), where he was briefed by NJHP Company officials on the latest technical failure that occurred last month.

The 969 megawatt project was initially suspended in 2022 owing to a failure in the head race tunnel, but it was later restored after a year in September last year, and again in April this year due to the same technical fault.

While addressing on the occasion, the prime minister voiced his disappointment that the findings of the inquiry into the recent fault had not to be released and instructed the officials in charge to submit the report within days and restore power generation as soon as possible following the repair work.

He said it was sad that $5 billion had been spent on the project despite an early estimate of $40 million, but it was still experiencing technical difficulties.

“I am absolutely clear. I require a full investigation into whether the flaws were in the design or the construction, and blame should be assigned. “Any further delay will be unacceptable,” he continued.

PM Shehbaz stated that it was a project of national significance in the electricity sector, following the Tarbela and Mangla dams, with a high cost that must remain operational for decades.

He instructed that the inquiry be done out by third-party specialists rather than the project’s designer or contractor.

He also directed the Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) and the NJHP Company to finish tunnel repairs as soon as possible so that generation could resume.

The prime minister praised the WAPDA chairman and his team for their efforts to repair the tunnel problem and resume generation last year.