A private Chinese firm China Gezhouba Group Company (CGGC) was given the responsibility of repairing the 969-megawatt hydropower plant called Neelum-Jhelum Hydropower Plant as it faced some technical failures earlier this year in July. As the location of this power plant is in “Azad”-Kashmir and there is always some Pak-Indo cross-border tension going on, the engineers and workers of the firm required security. Supposedly (claimed by the Chinese firm) Kashmir Police was unable to provide optimum security and the workers felt in danger so they left everything as it is and ghosted the site.
The hydropower project was worth Rs 508 billion and ceased to function after three years of its operation. This plant has already caused serious differences between Pakistan and Chinese authorities over joint projects, particularly the Dasu and Mohmand power projects along with the Neelum-Jhelum plant. Since this plant stopped producing electricity in July, Pakistan has faced serious energy deficiency and the per-unit price has also increased, resultantly Pakistan government is mad over this behavior of the Chinese firm.
The problem that the plant faced was a blockage in one of the tunnels of the river, on which the team was working before exiting the scene. It is a 3.5 km long tunnel that diverted water from the plant to the river developed a serious fault and forced a complete shutdown of the plant, at a time when the country was faced with a serious power crisis. The major cracks in the tailrace tunnel forced the authorities to shut down the project. The future of the project is yet unknown and the question of “Now who is going to fix the plant?” is also unanswered. In a brief statement WAPDA elaborated on the problem as;
“The Tailrace tunnel has been blocked and as a result, the power station has been closed for safety reasons”
This year July 10, the Chinese firm brought equipment and manpower from the Chinese border to Pakistan in order to empty the tunnel of water to identify the cause of the blockage. The company said the entire restoration process would take at least six months, during which the plant would remain shut. It sought PKR 120 million from the Neelum Jhelum Hydropower Corporation as interest-free financial support for the job. There was prolonged negotiation between the Pakistan government and the firm the company started working in the last weeks of July.
However, not satisfied with the Chinese offer, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on July 13 issued directions to hire the best international consultants to ascertain the cause of excessive water leakage in the powerhouse and pressure in the tailrace tunnel, evaluate the structural strength of underground works, identify lapses in design/construction which caused the blockage, suggest remedial measures, and provide technical assistance to NJHPC in preparing and pursuing the insurance claim.
The government should now leave behind its arrogance and hatred, and start working on policies to convince the firm to come back or find someone else for the job. Because the prices will keep going up if the demand is not fulfilled. Already, inflation and flood are playing their roles to deprive the country of growth and the last thing Pakistan needs is a mundane conflict to further demolish its growth of Pakistan.
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