WAPDA agrees to buy two tunnel boring machines for Neelum Jhelum Hydropower project
Tuesday, May 8th, 2012 6:33:33 by Wajahat Javed
WAPDA agrees to buy two tunnel boring machines for Neelum Jhelum Hydropower project
Monday, May 7, 2012: WAPDA (Water and Power Development Authority) has agreed to buy two tunnel boring machines for the Neelum Jhelum Hydropower project.
In the original contract, which is being implemented by a Chinese company, there was no clause on Tunnel boring machines (TBMs), however, the Chinese contractor came up with a idea to use it without the endorsement of a credible
foreign consultant, which WAPDA agreed upon.
As no international consultant recommended the use of the tunnel boring machines for the Neelum Jhelum hydropower project, Wapda managed to get the endorsement from a retired employee who now works as a consultant, official added.
The contractor proposed to deploy a tunnel boring machines for the construction of a 9.1km-long headrace tunnel to accelerate the progress and bring the first power unit online.
Abdul Khaliq Khan, Wapda’s in house consultant and former employee, in a report said, “The proposed acceleration of the tunnel construction by use of tunnel boring machines method will increase the project cost by around Rs16 billion.”
The 969MW Neelum Jhelum project, signed in 2008 with the CMEC/CGGC JV, initially cost $1.4 billion but the cost has escalated to $3.6 billion due to fluctuations in steel prices among other reasons.
According to officials of Water and Power Ministry, there are several uncertainties regarding the machines working in Pakistan. They questioned how the contractor will provide economically 10MW for TBMs to function and how these
TBMs will work in Neelum Jhelum’s soft rock, siltstone, mild-stone and sandstone.
The convergence factors become higher when minor seismic events are a regular event. “TBMs will clearly facing the prospect of being trapped up to 2.5km below the surface and there will be several issues of dewatering,” official
said that billion of rupees were being spent to construct 9.1km tunnel.
“Very high pumping capacity is required otherwise all is lost. If the TBM has ideal conditions it can give 20 metres a day in good rock conditions but Neelum Jhelum’s soil will not even permit 10 metres a day,” official said.
Tags: Neelum Jhelum Hydropower project, WAPDAShort URL: https://www.newspakistan.pk/?p=21726
Posted by Wajahat Javed
on May 8 2012. Filed under Business, Pakistan.
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Kindly get your facts straight. These machines were commissioned more than a year back and are currently present on site !!! Daaaa
It better to think hard while planning. Under present circumstances, spending that a heavy amount without credible consultant does raise questions on the vision and know-how of people calling the shots.