LAHORE: Spokesperson of the Pakistan Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA), taking strong exception to a news about abandoning of Neelum-Jhelum Hydropower Project in Pakistan by a Chinese firm, published in a section of press, has termed it fabricated, baseless and misleading. The spokesperson has said that the Chinese Contractor has been continuously working at all sites without any interruption.

The 969 MW-Neelum Jhelum Hydropower Project (NJHP) was completed by a joint venture of two Chinese firms M/s CGGC and M/s CMEC in 2018. Prior to July 6 incident, NJHP was functioning satisfactorily and generated 18.28 billion units. NJHP was shut down on July 6 due to blockade in its tailrace tunnel considering safety of the power structure and all other equipment.

Immediately after the incident, M/s CGGC, the contractor for execution of civil works, was engaged for carrying out the remedial works. The contractor immediately started mobilization on the site. The contract agreement was also signed with M/s CGGC. Since then, the contractor has been working at site without any interruption. The restoration work on the tailrace tunnel is progressing as per schedule and expected to be completed by February 2023.

The spokesperson has said that proper security to the Chinese contractor has been provided and there is no security concern at NJHP.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022