- Tunnel failure inquiry continues amid repair work.
- Cheap hydropower missing from national grid.
- Draft dam safety bill has been finalised.
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s nearly $5 billion Neelum-Jhelum Hydropower Project will remain offline until at least March 2028, extending a crippling shutdown to almost four years, The News reported.
It is forcing consumers, who have long paid for the project through their electricity bills (NJ surcharge), to continue bearing the cost while being deprived of one of its cheapest sources of electricity.
The 969-megawatt project has been offline since May 2024 after a rock burst severely damaged its headrace tunnel.
The disclosure came during a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Water Resources, where Wapda Chairman Lt-Gen (retd) Muhammad Saeed said repairs to the hydropower plant were underway and expressed confidence that the project would return to operation by March 2028.
He said geological studies conducted before construction had identified the area as a seismic zone, while inquiries into the tunnel failure were continuing.
This prompted senators on Friday to demand an investigation into possible negligence behind the failure of one of the country’s most expensive public infrastructure projects.
They questioned whether the damage resulted solely from geological conditions or whether design, construction or operational lapses also played a role. They insisted that any negligence must be investigated transparently and those responsible held accountable.
The project, awarded in July 2007 and commissioned in August 2018 after nearly a decade of construction, cost around Rs500 billion (about $4.7 billion at the then exchange rate).
It has remained offline since May 2024 after the rock burst severely damaged its headrace tunnel, depriving the national grid of cheap hydropower and increasing reliance on costlier thermal generation. The prolonged shutdown has also added pressure on Pakistan’s already ballooning circular debt.
The committee meeting, chaired by Senator Jam Saifullah Khan, also heard stark warnings over Pakistan’s worsening water insecurity. Wapda Chairman Saeed said the country urgently needs to expand water storage infrastructure, while lawmakers noted that Pakistan has not built a major dam since Tarbela and Mangla, whereas India has constructed around 5,000 dams.
Lawmakers also criticised a briefing by Suparco on satellite monitoring of river encroachments, saying the presentation lacked clarity and failed to satisfy the committee.
The committee was informed that a draft Dam Safety Council Bill, prepared with assistance from the Asian Development Bank, has been finalised to establish a legal framework for dam safety.
Wapda also briefed the committee on the stalled Nai Gaj Dam project, where litigation continues after the original contractor allegedly submitted a fake bank guarantee, resulting in losses of about Rs23 billion. Once completed, the dam is expected to protect Dadu and Sehwan from flooding and irrigate nearly 28,000 acres.
Officials further informed the committee that Wapda supplies electricity to the national grid at an average cost of Rs3.83 per unit and generates about 32 billion units of electricity annually.
