MIRPUR (AJK): Neelum Jhelum Hydropower Project, located in Muzaffarabad has started providing electricity to the National Grid on April 9 on trial basis.

At the first leg of its operation, the project will generate electricity to its full capacity to the tune of 242 MW soon after its scheduled inauguration, WAPDA sources told APP Thursday.

Neelum Jhelum Hydropower Project, has four units with cumulative generation capacity of 969-MW. The first unit started electricity generation followed by the second, third and fourth units at one month interval respectively.

Sources said that Neelum Jhelum Hydropower Project is an engineering marvel with 90 percent of the project being underground in the high mountain areas. Neelum Hydropower consists of three main components i.e. a dam, water-way system comprising 52-km long tunnels and an underground power house.

The project will provide about five billion low-cost hydel electricity to the National Grid every year. Annual benefits of the project have been estimated at Rs.55 billion, sources added.

WAPDA is trying its best to award contracts for Mohmand Dam and Diamer Basha Dam within a year to supplement significantly towards existing water storage and hydropower generation capacities in the country, the sources added.