'Electrifying' performance

AJK power station earning Rs325.4m annually

264-metre tunnel leads to the mechanical section of the hydropower station, which has been set up underground. Saqib Awan told the mediapersons that the total length of the underground mechanical section is 74 metres, while its width and height are about 12 and 13.7 metres, respectively


By MUHAMMAD SHAHID
from Peshawar, PAKISTAN


Jagran hydropower station, around 85 kilometres from the Azad Jammu and Kashmir capital Muzaffarabad, is an underground set-up in the serene Neelam valley and contributing to the development of the state. Azad Jammu and Kashmir is a state, with its own government set-up; however, it is controlled by the Pakistan government. Azad Jammu & Kashmir borders India-occupied Kashmir, governed by India.

On October 23, 2008, then Pakistan president Pervez Musharraf inaugurated the hydropower station - a 'mini dam'. The station, which was established in almost five years, cost approximately Rs4.54 billion, while its annual earning is approximately Rs325.4 million (32 crores and 54 lacs). The station houses five generators, each with a capacity of 6.08 mega watts electricity; the station's total production capacity is 30.4 MW or 132 KV.

A team of Peshawar-based journalists visited the station during their tour of the AJK. On the occasion, Mechanical Maintenance Engineer Saqib Hussain Awan gave a detailed briefing about the project.

264-metre tunnel leads to the mechanical section of the hydropower station, which has been set up underground. Saqib Awan told the mediapersons that the total length of the underground mechanical section is 74 metres, while its width and height are about 12 and 13.7 metres, respectively. Discussing the mechanism of power generation, Saqib said water enters the station via 'spillway', which pushes the required amount of water into the system while diverting the extra water back to the River Neelam. The water, after passing through the spillway, reaches turbines in the mechanical section, which converts pressure energy into mechanical energy. Similarly, the generators convert the mechanical energy into electrical energy, which is transmitted to the Muzaffarabad gird station via a transmission line.

Citing the network of rivers in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Saqib said the state had a huge potential in hydropower production, but it required funds, and the government needs to pay attention to this sector.


(Published: 18.07.2009.)