The Project is running through Neelum Jhelum Hydro-Power Company WAPDA, headed by a Board of Directors. The Chairman of the BOD is Chairman Wapda. Members of Wapda Authority and three General Managers are Members of the Board. Chief Executive Officer,  the representative of Board of Directors, has his office at Lahore whereas Project Director (Chief Engineer) has his office at Muzaffarabad (AJ&K).

Neelum Jhelum Hydroelectric Project is located in the vicinity Muzaffarabad (AJ&K). It envisages the diversion of Neelum river water through a tunnel out -falling into Jhelum river. The intake Neelum Jhelum is at Nauseri 41 Km East of Muzaffarabad. The Powerhouse will be constructed at Chatter Kalas, 22 Km South of Muzaffarabad. After passing through the turbines the water will be released into Jhelum River about 4 Km South of Chatter Kalas. Neelum Jhelum Hydroelectric Project has installed capacity of 969 MW. The Project will produce 5.15 Billion units of electricity annually.

A concrete gravity dam 135 m long and 47 m high will be constructed on Neelum River at Nauseri. The dam is designed for over-topping. The dam will create a head pond of 8 million cubic meters which will allow a peaking reservoir of 2.8 million cubic meters to meet daily peaking of power for more than 4 hours. A six gate tunnel intake structure of 280 cumec capacity, will be connected with three conventional flushing surface basins installed at their end for taking sediment back into river.

The total length of head race tunnel is 28.5 Km. A 15.1 Km stretch of the tunnel from the Nauseri be constructed as a twin tunnel system each with x-section of 43 Sq.m. The remaining head race tunnel down to the surge chamber will be a single tunnel having x-section of 82 Sq.m The tunnels are shotcrete lined with a concrete invert. The tunnel crosses Jhelum River approximately 380 m below its bed. The tunnel will be accessed by 7 Adits for removal of excavated spoil. 

The Surge Chamber consist of 341 m high riser shaft and 820 m long surge tunnel, Four steel lined Penstock tunnels 154 m long and having 3.8 m internal diameter will also be constructed. The under ground power Station will have 4 units with a total capacity of 969 MW. The Power Station will be connected by with Rawat Grid station through 500KV double circuit transmission line.

Rs. 130 Billion  (US$ 2.16 billion)

Concrete Gravity

47 / 135 Meters

420 Meters

280 Cumecs

Two; each Xⁿ Area 43 m²
One; Xⁿ Area 82m²

26%

8 Years

The Neelum Jhelum Hydroelectric Project is split into the following three main geographic areas.

1. NAUSERI AREA (ALSO KNOWN AS C1)
   
   A 47m high mass concrete gravity intake dam and sedimentation basins near to Nauseri on the Neelum River. The dam has four large low-level gates designed to pass floods up to the 1:100 year recurrence period and also allow the reservoir to be drawn for sediment flushing. The sedimentation basins are designed to trap sediments that could erode the turbine blades at the powerhouse. The intake works are designed to divert up to 280m³/s in to the headrace tunnels.
3. HEADRACE TUNNEL (ALSO KNOWN AS C2)
   
   The headrace tunnel is 28.5 km long and conveys the water from the intake area at Nauseri to the Powerhouse area near Chatter Kalas. The tunnel crosses under high ground and also across the Muzaffarabad fault zone. The first 15.1 km comprises of twin tunnels, each of x-section area 43m² 
   and the rest of the route, a single tunnel of x-section area 82m² has been proposed. The tunnel will be excavated by drilling and blasting, with shotcrete and rock bolts for general support and full concrete lining at localized weaker zones. The invert of whole tunnel is concrete lined. The tunnel crosses below the Jhelum river at a depth of 380m.
   
4. CHATTER KALAS AREA (ALSO KNOWN AS C3)
   
   The headrace tunnel will feed four vertical-shaft Francis turbines with an installed capacity of 969 MW housed in an underground powerhouse. The water is discharged back into the Jhelum River near Zaminabad through a 3.5 km tailrace tunnel. Associated facilities include a transformer hall, surge shaft, access tunnels, a 500 KV switchyard and housing facilities for the operations and maintenance personnel.

PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION 

Construction

Construction Contact was awarded, on July 07, 2007, to M/s CGGC-CMEC Consortium China  for implementation of the project at a cost of Rs. 90.90 Billions including Rs. 46.499 Billions foreign component. Construction Agreement was signed on December 19, 2007. Letter of Commencement was issued on January 30, 2008. contractor has mobilized at Site.

Preparatory works including construction of Contractor's camps aggregate crushing & batching plant site access roads and site / test laboratory have been completed.  The main works of the project have started:

* For Main Headrace Tunnel excavation shortcreting and rock bolting (from Adit A-1) upto 396m completed.
* For Diversion Tunnel excavation shotcreting and rock bolting upto 408 meter completed.
* Adits A-1 has been completed since August 2009.
* For Adit A-2 Tunnel excavation shotcreting and rock bolting upto 14821m completed.
* For Adit A-3 Tunnel excavation shotcreting and rock bolting upto 1394m completed.
* For Adit A-4 Tunnel excavation shotcreting and rock bolting upto 1176m completed.
* For Adit A-5 Tunnel excavation shotcreting and rock bolting upto 701m completed.
* For Adit A-6 cable tunnel excavation shotcreting and rock bolting upto 684m completed.
* For Adit A-7 Tunnel excavation shotcreting and rock bolting upto 10 m completed.
* For access tunnel to serge tunnel excavation shotcreting and rock bolting upto 353m completed.
* For access tunnel (from Adit A-5) to main headrace tunnel excavation shotcreting and rock bolting upto 285m completed.
* For drainage gallery for penstocks excavation shotcreting and rock bolting upto 181m completed.
* For probe tunnel excavation shotcreting and rock bolting upto 136m completed.
* For Manifold from Adit A-6 near penstocks excavation shotcreting and rock bolting upto 34 m completed.
* Excavation of desander area remained in progress.
* Work on access road to portal Adit A-7 remained in progress.

Overall physical progress is 14.5 % upto the end of JUNE 2010.

Neelum Jhelum Consultants (NJC), a Joint Venture Comprising of MWH International Inc. USA, NORPLAN A.S., Norway, National Engineer Services Pakistan (Pvt.) Limited, Associated Consulting Engineers ACE (Pvt.) Limited, National Development Consultants of Pakistan, have been selected for Engineer Design and Supervision (EDS) as Project Consultants. Consultancy Agreement was signed on May 15, 2008 Letter of Commencement was issued on May 16, 2008. Services have been started since June 03, 2008. 

GOP has approved financial arrangement for project
 (a) Established Neelum Jhelum Hydropower Company for project implementation
 (b) Imposition of surcharge @ 10 Paisa per unit on power tariff for providing 50% fund requirement for NJHPC
 (c) Balance equity to be arranged through loans, skuk bonds etc. Negotiations for foreign component are in progress with IDB, Saudi Fund and Republic of China.
Revised PSDP (2009-2010) allocation of Rs.16000 Million.
Overall Financial Progress is 20 % upto the end of June 2010.
 

* Reduction of dependent on thermal power generation through reducing the import of fossil thereby saving in foreign exchange. 
* Employment opportunities during construction and later on operation of the Project
* Improved standard of living infrastructure
* Social-economic uplift of the area