LAHORE, Nov 24: The Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) has decided to deploy state-of-the-art tunnel boring machines (TBMs) for on-schedule completion of the strategically important 969MW Neelum-Jhelum Hydropower Project.

Wapda Chairman Shakil Durrani stated this during his visit to the Neelum-Jhelum Hydropower Project. Deployment of TBMs on the project will reduce the construction period by about two years resulting in an estimated benefit of Rs90 billion.

The chairman inspected the diversion tunnel at Nauseri, where the river Neelum was diverted in October 2011 to initiate construction of the weir. He also visited other components of the project, including weir site, de-sander and main tunnels etc., at Nauseri and powerhouse at Chattar Kalas.

The Wapda chairman said Neelum-Jhelum is a priority project of Wapda's least-cost energy generation plan. Since completion of the project is vital for the country, Wapda is taking all possible measures for the purpose, including deployment of two TBMs on the project.

The TBMs, being imported from Germany by the contractor, are expected to reach Pakistan by January 2012, he said.

Lauding the efforts of the project authorities, he said completion of the tunnel to divert the river Neelum is a landmark in implementation. The diversion tunnel was completed in October in record time of two years.

The managing director of Neelum-Jhelum Hydropower Company, while briefing the chairman, said overall progress on the project stands at 27 per cent. He further said about 17-kilometre long tunnels have so far been completed. These include both access and main tunnels.

He also briefed the chairman on excavation work on the powerhouse and the main tunnels and piling for the composite dam.

The project is being carried out on the river Neelum in Azad Jammu & Kashmir. Scheduled to be completed in 2016, it will provide about 5.15 billion units of electricity annually to the National Grid. Benefits of the project have been estimated at Rs45 billion per annum. The project will pay back its cost in about seven years.