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Neelum–Jhelum Hydropower Plant

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Run-of-river hydroelectricity ( ROR ) or run-of-the-river hydroelectricity is a type of hydroelectric generation plant whereby little or no water storage is provided. Run-of-the-river power plants may have no water storage at all or a limited amount of storage, in which case the storage reservoir is referred to as pondage . A plant without pondage is subject to seasonal river flows, so the plant will operate as an intermittent energy source . Conventional hydro uses reservoirs , which regulate water for flood control , dispatchable electrical power , and the provision of fresh water for agriculture .

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80-582: The Neelum–Jhelum Hydropower Plant is part of a run-of-the-river hydroelectric power project in Azad Kashmir ( AJK ) designed to divert water from the Neelum River to a power station on the Jhelum River . The power station is located 42 km (26 mi) south of Muzaffarabad , and has an installed capacity of 969 MW. Construction on the project began in 2008 after a Chinese consortium

160-435: A pumped storage scheme to generate peaking and secondary power additionally. In 2013 local population of Bandipora protested against Hindustan Construction Company (HCC) executing the 330 MW Kishenganga hydroelectric project in the area. The protesters accused the company of causing severe damage to natural environment and causing perilous pollution in the area. Following sustained protests by villagers in 2012 and 2013,

240-603: A "pause" in December 2016 asking India and Pakistan to agree on a course of action. There was no further movement afterward till the completion of the Kishenganga project. According to Feisal Naqvi, former counsel for the Government of Pakistan, Pakistan's concern is that India did not alter the design of the Kishenganga dam in the light of the court's determination. While the court's ruling prohibited drawdown flushing,

320-601: A 'difference' under the Indus Water Treaty. It was referred to a neutral expert appointed by the World Bank, who ruled that the drawdown flushing facility was necessary. India depended on the precedent value of this ruling in designing the Kishanganga project. Pakistan's concern with the drawdown facility is that it provides India with manipulable storage of water. If the water is drawn down then, while it

400-488: A 3.5 km (2 mi) long tail-race tunnel. The drop in elevation between the dam and power station afford an average hydraulic head of 420 m (1,378 ft). The tail race tunnel of the dam cracked, collapsed and got blocked in July 2022 leading to the shutdown of the power plant. It resumed power generation on August 9, 2023 after the completion of restoration works in the tail race tunnel. Repairs of 3.5km TRT cost

480-567: A 820 m (2,690 ft) long surge tunnel. From the surge chamber, the water is split into four different penstocks which feed each of the four 242.25 MW Francis turbine -generators in the underground power house . After being used to generate electricity, the water is discharged southeast back into the Jhelum River at 34°10′29″N 73°29′34″E  /  34.17472°N 73.49278°E  / 34.17472; 73.49278  ( Neelum-Jhelum Hydropower Plant Discharge ) through

560-433: A Chinese engineer. On 5 November 2016, the project entered into terminal phase with 100 percent perfect design while achieving 85.5 percent progress and is heading towards completion despite all delays in release of funds, weather conditions, non-availability of power during early stage of construction and delays in land acquisition. In March 2017, it was reported that the cost of the dam had escalated to PKR 500 billion. thus

640-468: A CoA. Another possibility for a CoA is when both parties agree so which is the case in Kishanganga dispute. Pakistan approaching CoA or NE again on the Kishenganga project is not permitted as Pakistan can not raise fresh objections as per Annexure D(10) of the Indus Water Treaty. Pakistan has not asked any clarification on the CoA verdicts as permitted. Even then Pakistan continued to raise other objections via

720-471: A Court of Arbitration. This was the first time a Court of Arbitration (CoA) was assembled under the treaty. A Court of Arbitration assembled under the Indus Water Treaty is expected to have seven members, two members each nominated by India and Pakistan, and three 'umpires' appointed by recognised authorities: the chairman appointed by the United Nations secretary-general and the World Bank president,

800-468: A Plant is located on a tributary of the Jhelum on which Pakistan has any agricultural use or hydroelectric use, the water released below the plant may be delivered, if necessary, into another tributary but only to the extent that the then existing agricultural use or hydroelectric use by Pakistan on the former tributary would not be adversely affected. (emphasis added) Nevertheless, Pakistan maintained that

880-423: A few occasions, which is beyond its capacity and a rare precedence in hydel power sector. After being approved in 1989, the design was improved, increasing the tunnel length and generation capacity. The project was intended to begin in 2002 and be completed in 2008 but this time-frame experienced significant delays due to problems meeting rising costs. Additionally, the 2005 Kashmir earthquake which devastated

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960-433: A global testing ground for 10–50 MW run-of-river technology . As of March 2010, there were 628 applications pending for new water licences solely for power generation, representing more than 750 potential points of river diversion. In undeveloped areas, new access roads and transmission lines can cause habitat fragmentation , allowing the introduction of invasive species. Run-of-the-river projects strongly depend on

1040-417: A lake or reservoir upstream. A small dam is usually built to create a headpond ensuring that there is enough water entering the penstock pipes that lead to the turbines , which are at a lower elevation. Projects with pondage, as opposed to those without pondage, can store water for daily load demands. In general, projects divert some or most of a river's flow (up to 95% of mean annual discharge) through

1120-510: A legal member/umpire appointed by US Chief Justice and Lord Chief Justice of England, an engineer member/umpire appointed by the President of MIT and the Rector of Imperial College, London. A distinguished panel was thus assembled to hear the case. The Court began by rejecting Pakistan's arguments that the Kishanganga project violated the provisions of the treaty. Then it considered whether

1200-519: A minimum environmental flow along the Kishanganga/Neelum riverbed. After requesting additional data from India and Pakistan to determine the requirements for minimum flow, the court determined this to be 12 cumecs at river crossing point into Pakistan. Balancing this figure against India's right to the satisfactory operation of its project, it set down 9 cumecs as the required minimum flow to be ensured at all times. The remaining 3 cumecs flow

1280-410: A pipe and/or tunnel leading to electricity-generating turbines, then return the water back to the river downstream. Run-of-the-river projects are dramatically different in design and appearance from conventional hydroelectric projects. Traditional hydroelectric dams store enormous quantities of water in reservoirs , sometimes flooding large tracts of land. In contrast, run-of-river projects do not have

1360-644: A result of the Kishanganga project, it would experience a 21 percent reduction in the waters of Neelum in Pakistan, causing a 10 percent reduction in the power generated by Neelum–Jhelum. In 2010, Pakistan raised a dispute under the Indus Waters Treaty , taking it to the Permanent Court of Arbitration . The court ruled that India was permitted to divert waters from one tributary to another for power generation, and it had priority as it started

1440-702: A run of the river power station on the Neelum River (called Kishanganga in India) upstream of the Neelum–Jhelum Dam. The Kishanganga Hydroelectric Plant operates in a similar way to the Neelum–Jhelum, using a dam to divert a portion of the Neelum waters (58.4 m/s (2,062 cu ft/s)) to a power station before it is discharged into Bonar Nalla, another tributary of Jhelum. Pakistan has estimated that, as

1520-525: Is also diverted to the Jhelum River to generate additional power by the 330 MW power plant. As the pumping head (90 m) is not exceeding 15% of the 664 m head available for power generation, the storage reservoir with a pumping facility is highly economical to utilize all the waters of the Kishenganga River flowing in India. Water pumping from the storage works/reservoir could be achieved by installing

1600-406: Is being refilled, the gates would be closed and starve the downstream areas of water. In the event of a war or conflict, India would have the ability to flood the downstream areas by using the drawdown facility and then shut off water while refilling the reservoir. So Pakistan perceives the drawdown facility as a key security issue. Indeed, the Indus Water Treaty stipulates that the water storage in

1680-417: Is considered an "unfirm" source of power: a run-of-the-river project has little or no capacity for energy storage and so cannot co-ordinate the output of electricity generation to match consumer demand. It thus generates much more power when seasonal river flows are high (spring freshet ), and depending on location, much less during drier summer months or frozen winter months. Depending on location and type,

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1760-501: Is generally used to cover exclusively short-term peak times electricity demand. Diversion Weir is also heavily dependent on the natural river flow. Similar to a regular dam, water is stored from lull periods to be used during peak-times. This allows for the pondage dams to provide for the regulation of daily and/or weekly flows depending on location. When developed with care to footprint size and location, run-of-the-river hydro projects can create sustainable energy minimizing impacts to

1840-528: Is located near Dharmahama Village, 5 km (3 mi) north of Bandipore in the Kashmir valley and has an installed capacity of 330 MW. Construction on the project began in 2007 and was expected to be complete in 2016. It was halted in 2011 due to a dispute with Pakistan under the Indus Water Treaty , which went to a court of arbitration. Pakistan protested the effect of the project on

1920-603: Is met from the Indian territory downstream of the Kishangana dam. The loss of power generation is estimated as 5.7% of total generation in a year. However, CoA has not deliberated the possibility of reducing the loss by converting the excess dead storage above the gates as storage for proving the minimum environmental flow during the lean flow season. Pakistan also raised another dispute at the same Court of Arbitration, questioning India's plan to use drawdown flushing for clearing

2000-441: Is rated at 1,853 MW. Some run-of-the-river projects are downstream of other dams and reservoirs. The reservoir was not built by the project but takes advantage of the water supplied by it. An example would be the 1995 1,436 MW La Grande-1 generating station . Previous upstream dams and reservoirs were part of the 1980s James Bay Project . There are also small and somewhat-mobile forms of a run-of-the-river power plants. One example

2080-485: Is received by a surge chamber before sending water to the underground power house which contains 3 x 110 MW Pelton turbine -generators. After the power plant, water is discharged through a tail race channel into Bonar Nallah, another tributary of Jhelum (at 34°28′23″N 74°38′06″E  /  34.473°N 74.635°E  / 34.473; 74.635 ). After a short distance the Bonar Nallah drains into

2160-673: Is the so-called electricity buoy , a small floating hydroelectric power plant . Like most buoys, it is anchored to the ground, in this case in a river. The energy within the moving water propels a power generator and thereby creates electricity. Prototypes by commercial producers are generating power on the Middle Rhine river in Germany and on the Danube river in Austria. The advantages and disadvantages of run-of-river dams depends on

2240-523: The Wular Lake , on the course of the Jhelum River. The drop in elevation from the dam to the power station provides a hydraulic head of 646 m (2,119 ft). The dam is equipped with a lower level orifice spillway to transfer flood water as well as silt downstream to protect the power generation reliability and the operating life of the project. The arbitration award permitted the lower level orifice spillway as envisaged by India but prohibited

2320-915: The disadvantages associated with reservoirs and so cause fewer environmental impacts. The use of the term "run-of-the-river" for power projects varies around the world. Some may consider a project run-of-the-river if power is produced with no water storage, but limited storage is considered run-of-the-river by others. Developers may mislabel a project run-of-the-river to soothe public perception about its environmental or social effects. The European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity distinguishes run-of-the-river and pondage hydropower plants, which can hold enough water to allow generation for up to 24 hours (reservoir capacity / generating capacity ≤ 24 hours), from reservoir hydropower plants, which hold far more than 24 hours of generation without pumps. The Bureau of Indian Standards describes run-of-the-river hydroelectricity as: A power station utilizing

2400-581: The Baglihar neutral expert erred in not balancing the two concerns. It overruled neutral expert's decision for all future projects. After the partial award of the Court of Arbitration (CoA) on 18 February 2013, India resumed the construction of the project. CoA in its decision/verdict dated 18 February 2013 unequivocally permitted India to construct the project as proposed by India (except drawdown flushing operation) without any modification after disposing of all

2480-463: The CoA decision dated 18 February 2013. Downstream of the Kishanganga dam, the river is taking a U-turn to enter Pakistan territory. Nearly 20 million cubic meters capacity gross storage dam can be envisaged close to the LoC to impound all the inflows which can be further pumped through a 6 km long tunnel into the upstream Kishenganga dam reservoir. The augmented water into the Kishanganga dam reservoir

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2560-513: The Indus Water Treaty to decide on all the technical issues that are in the domain of the NE (paras 483 to 491). Albeit, Neutral Expert (NE) is to be appointed when India or Pakistan asks accordingly irrespective of differences or disputes (technical or legal issues). Per Article IX (2b) of the Treaty, NE shall give decision only on the issues falling in his domain and recommend other issues to be settled by

2640-517: The Jhelum river through a tunnel and using the consequent flows to generate power. Both India and Pakistan have explored the possibility and came up with the Kishenganga project and the Neelum–Jhelum project respectively. The Kishanganga project includes a 37 m (121 ft) tall concrete-face rock-fill dam which diverts a portion (58.4 m3/sec) of the Kishanganga River south through a 23.20 km (14.4 mi) tunnel. The tunnel

2720-434: The Kishanganga project before Neelum–Jhelum. The Kishanganga project became operational on 19 May 2018. The Neelum–Jhelum Dam is a 60 m (197 ft) tall and 125 m (410 ft) long gravity dam . It withholds a pondage (reservoir) with a 8,000,000 m (6,486 acre⋅ft) capacity of which 2,800,000 m (2,270 acre⋅ft) is peak storage. The dam diverts up to 280 m/s (9,888 cu ft/s) of

2800-422: The Neelum southeast into a 28.5 km (18 mi) long head-race tunnel, the first 15.1 km (9 mi) of the head-race is two tunnels which later meet into one. The tunnel passes 380 m (1,247 ft) below the Jhelum River and through its bend. At the terminus of the tunnel, the water reaches the surge chamber which contains a 341 m (1,119 ft) tall surge shaft (to prevent water hammer ) and

2880-470: The Pakistan's Indus Commissioner became aware of the survey and asked India to pause work. In 1994, India informed Pakistan its plans for a project with a storage capacity of 0.14 MAF . After receiving Pakistan's objections, it revised the project from a storage project to a run-of-the-river project. During the period 2004–2006, the project moved forward, having been taken up by National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC Limited). The construction of

2960-399: The bilateral Indus Commission for publicity purposes. These were considered 'technical aspects' and India wisely selected the appointment of a NE to resolve them so that Pakistan commits violations of the Treaty. However, Pakistan insisted on assembling a second CoA. India did not agree to the demand cleverly. The World Bank was faced with conflicting demands from the two parties and called for

3040-520: The consistent flow of water, as they lack reservoirs and depend on the natural flow of rivers. Consequently, these projects are more vulnerable to climate change compared to storage-based projects. Short-term climate anomalies such as the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) [1] can significantly disrupt the flow and can have a profound impact on the operation of these projects. Thus, incorporating climate change considerations into

3120-401: The cost of electricity from Neelum Jhelum will be Pakistani Rupees 20 per unit. All the civil work including tunnel boring, installation of generators and turbines was completed and water filling of the dam began on 17 October 2017 to put it on the test. In October 2017, residents of Muzaffarabad expressed serious concerns that the commissioning of Neelum Jhelum project will drastically reduce

3200-467: The depletion of dead storage. The waters of the Jhelum river and its tributaries are allocated to Pakistan under the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 (part of the three 'western rivers' – Indus, Jhelum and Chenab). However, India is allowed "non-consumptive" uses of the water such as power generation. Under the treaty, India is obliged to inform Pakistan of its intent to build a project six months prior to construction and take into account any concerns raised by

3280-485: The diversion of water was prohibited. Asif H. Kazi, an influential water professional, declared, "the treaty absolutely forbids India from undertaking their project". Other than the legal objection, Pakistan also had concerns that the project would affect the flow of waters into Pakistan-administered Kashmir along the Kishanganga riverbed, impacting agriculture in "thousands of acres" as well as Pakistan's own planned Neelum–Jhelum project downstream. Experts estimated that

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3360-492: The diverted water from the Kishanganga River is used for the purpose of irrigation or to generate additional electricity from the downstream Lower Jhelum (105 MW), Uri (720 MW) and proposed Kohala (1124 MW) (in Pakistan-administered Kashmir) hydel projects located on the Jhelum River . It was stipulated by the CoA that India shall release 9 cumecs subject to adequate inflows in the reservoir for

3440-488: The drawdown flushing was not an absolute necessity. Other methods of sediment control were available even if they were less economical. The court read the treaty's provisions regarding depletion and the limits on live storage as restricting India's ability to manipulate flows. According to former World Bank water expert John Briscoe, it might be convenient for India to practise sediment flushing, but it had to be balanced against Pakistan's water security . The court implied that

3520-412: The electricity needed by consumers and industry. Moreover, run-of-the-river hydroelectric plants do not have reservoirs, thus eliminating the methane and carbon dioxide emissions caused by the decomposition of organic matter in the reservoir of a conventional hydroelectric dam. That is a particular advantage in tropical countries, where methane generation can be a problem. Without a reservoir, flooding of

3600-479: The first unit will start electricity generation by end-March, followed by the second, third and fourth units at one month intervals respectively. In April 2018, the first unit of 242.25 MW was commissioned at a levelised tariff of Rs 13.50 per unit. The strategically crucial Neelum-Jhelum Hydropower Project achieved a historic landmark, as the project attained its maximum generation capacity of 969 megawatts (MW) on 14 August 2018. In 2007, India began construction of

3680-479: The flow of Neelum river thru Muzaffarabad town. In January 2018, it was reported that the retaining wall of the rock filled dam has got shifted by 18mm from its original position in Nov 2017 when the dam was loaded to design height of 1017 meter. The electricity generation from the dam may be delayed to June–July 2018. In early March 2018, it was reported that the filling of water in the head race tunnel has started and

3760-511: The flow of the Kishanganga River to downstream areas in Pakistan-administered Kashmir . In December 2013, the Court ruled that India could divert water for power generation while ensuring a minimum flow of 9 cumecs (m /s) downstream to Pakistan. All three units of 110 MW each were commissioned and synchronized with the electricity grid by 30 March 2018. On 19 May 2018, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated

3840-629: The impact on the Neelum–Jhelum project would be only about 10 percent, because 70 percent of the waters of Kishanganga/Neelum are generated within Pakistan-administered Kashmir (after passing through the Kishanganga project) and the project itself reduces the flow by only 21 to 27 percent. Unable to agree with India, Pakistan raised a 'dispute' under the Indus Waters Treaty, asking the World Bank to assemble

3920-539: The initial design and location selection of run-of-the-river projects can help mitigate the vulnerability of these projects to climate-related disruptions. Kishanganga Hydroelectric Plant The Kishanganga Hydroelectric Project is a run-of-the-river hydroelectric scheme in Jammu and Kashmir , India. Its dam diverts water from the Kishanganga River to a power plant in the Jhelum River basin. It

4000-429: The latter. Pakistan strenuously objected to the project, claiming that India was not permitted under the Treaty to divert waters from one tributary to another. Experts have disagreed with this contention. John Briscoe, a former World Bank water expert, points out that the "far-sighted Indian and Pakistani engineers" who drafted the treaty very well anticipated the situation. The paragraph 15 of Annexure D states, Where

4080-402: The low-level orifice outlets that would enable such flushing still remain. A NE decision to declare them "illegal" would have been necessary for Pakistan. India never agreed that the low-level orifice outlets were purely meant for drawdown flushing. As acknowledged by the CoA (paras 507 to 509), the low-level orifice outlets, as permitted by Annexure D (8d) of the Treaty, are also needed to pass

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4160-459: The minimum environmental flow requirement in future after 7 years from the commissioning of the Kishenganga power plant. As per clause 1 of Annexure D of the treaty, India can use the available water fully for hydropower generation in an unrestricted manner subject to complying with the restrictions imposed in Annexure D. There is no stipulation in Annexure D for sparing water to the downstream for

4240-525: The nation about Rs6bn, in addition to about Rs37bn in energy loss during repairs, maintenance, and testing over the following 20 months. WAPDA has filed about Rs43bn insurance claims for the losses. On April 3, 2024, electricity generation from the Neelum-Jhelum Hydel Power Station was restricted to 530 MW due to decrease in head race tunnel pressure. On May 3, 2024, electricity generation from the Neelum-Jhelum Hydel Power Station

4320-586: The nuclear-armed countries. "This region can not only become self-sufficient in power but also produce for other regions of the country," Modi said in the state's capital, Srinagar. "Keeping that in mind we have been working on various projects here for the past four years." Pakistan has opposed some of these projects, saying they violate a World Bank-mediated treaty on the sharing of the Indus River and its tributaries upon which 80 percent of its irrigated agriculture depends. In addition to generating 330 MW power,

4400-500: The pending issues raised by Pakistan. The CoA decision categorically declared as quoted below (page no 201) C. This Partial Award imposes no further restrictions on the construction and operation of the Kishenganga Hydro-Electric Plant, which remain subject to the provisions of the Treaty as interpreted in this Partial Award. The CoA also declared that it is competent enough as per provisions of

4480-433: The plant will most likely have a lower head of water than from a dam, and will thus generate less power. The potential power at a site is a result of the head and flow of water. By damming a river, the head is available to generate power at the face of the dam. A dam may create a reservoir hundreds of kilometres long, but in run-of-the-river the head is usually delivered by a canal, pipe or tunnel constructed upstream of

4560-442: The power house. The cost of upstream construction makes a steep drop desirable, such as falls or rapids. Small, well-sited run-of-the-river projects can be developed with minimal environmental impacts. Larger projects have more environmental concerns. For fish-bearing rivers, a ladder may be required, and dissolved gases downstream may affect fish. In British Columbia , the mountainous terrain and wealth of big rivers have made it

4640-418: The probable maximum flood, to release water in the event of an unforeseen emergency and for sediment control by sluicing without depleting the dead storage. It is stated in the court's proceedings that they would be useful for sediment control generally, even without drawdown flushing. An unforeseen emergency situation can be a tsunami wave created by an avalanche or a glacier lake outburst , taking place in

4720-407: The project satisfied the treaty's requirements for hydroelectric plants. Article III(2) obligates India to "let flow all the waters of Western Rivers" and "not permit any interference with the waters". Pakistan argued that the project violated Annexure D of the treaty in three respects: The court rejected all three objections by analysing the treaty and its negotiating history. The final question

4800-467: The project would begin. In October 2011, the diversion tunnel required to reroute the Neelum River around the dam site was completed. On 1 November, Pakistan's Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani publicly stated his concern for the project's delay. At its appraisal in 1989, it was to cost $ 167 million USD (2011) and after another redesign in 2005, that cost rose to $ 935 million USD (2011). Currently costs have risen to $ 2.89 billion USD (2011). The project

4880-498: The project. The Kishanganga (Neelum) River is a major tributary of the west-flowing Jhelum River. Located to its north, the Kishanganga flows at a higher elevation than the Jhelum. Both the rivers originate in Indian-administered Kashmir and flow west into Pakistan-administered Kashmir, joining near Muzaffarabad . This situation presents a unique opportunity of diverting waters from the Kishenganga river into

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4960-545: The purpose of minimum environmental flows into the Kishenganga River Though there is no stipulation per IWT to maintain minimum environmental flows for a run of the river hydropower plant and India offered voluntarily to release the minimum environmental flows downstream without contesting the environmental flow requirement. CoA stipulated the same as the requirement under Customary international law . The CoA verdict (page 43) also made provision to contest

5040-436: The purpose of minimum environmental flows. As per clause 29 of Annexure G, whenever the relevant treaty stipulations are not extant then only other acceptable international laws such as customary international law are applicable. Thus CoA has provided an option to rectify omissions of India in the future so that the Kishenganga power project becomes economically viable as the stipulated minimum environmental flows are nearly 25% of

5120-563: The region required a redesign of the project to conform to more stringent seismic standards. On 7 July 2007, the China consortium CGGC-CMEC ( Gezhouba Group and China National Machinery Import and Export Corporation) were offered a contract to construct the dam and power station. Terms were settled by the end of the year and in January 2008, the letter of commencement was issued. On 8 February, Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf announced that

5200-456: The reservoir should be maintained above the dead storage level except in emergencies: The Dead Storage shall not be depleted except in an unforeseen emergency. If so depleted, it will be re-filled in accordance with the conditions of its initial filling. India argued that the ability to flush sediment was necessary to assure its right to generate hydroelectric power. The Court obtained technical evidence and expert opinion before determining that

5280-602: The run of the river flows for generation of power with sufficient pondage for supplying water for meeting diurnal or weekly fluctuations of demand. In such stations, the normal course of the river is not materially altered. Many of the larger run-of-the-river projects have been designed to a scale and generating capacity rivaling some traditional hydroelectric dams. For example, the Beauharnois Hydroelectric Generating Station in Quebec

5360-600: The sediments that accumulate below the 'dead storage' level. Sedimentation is a serious problem among Himalayan rivers (since the Himalayas are young mountains). The previous Salal project on the Chenab river was constructed without drawdown flushing facility and the dam is said to have filled up with sediment within two seasons. For the Baglihar Dam , India insisted on the drawdown facility, leading Pakistan to raise

5440-417: The surrounding environment and nearby communities. Run-of-the-river harnesses the natural potential energy of water by eliminating the need to burn coal or natural gas to generate the electricity needed by consumers and industry. Advantages include: Like all hydro-electric power, run-of-the-river harnesses the natural potential energy of water by eliminating the need to burn coal or natural gas to generate

5520-416: The total inflows. In the case of storage works, Annexure E(20) of IWT clearly permits that the stored water can be used fully in any manner by India without the need to release water downstream for minimum environmental flows. The average water yield is 4.1 cumecs (129 million cubic meters per year) in the river catchment area below the Kishanganga dam before the river enters Pakistan as stated in page 171 of

5600-429: The tunnels was carried out by Hindustan Construction Company jointly with UK-based Halcrow Group . The first 14.75 km of the tunnel was constructed using a tunnel boring machine operated by SELI, and the remaining 8.9 km by the contentional drill and blast method. It is one of the longest headrace tunnels in India with overburden (height of the mountain above the tunnel) of 1470 metres. Using tunnel boring in

5680-406: The type, the following sections generally refer to Dam-Toe unless otherwise stated. These are listed in order of least impact to most impact, as well as (on average) requisite project size. Dam-toe has no flow regulation and utilizes the natural flow of the river to turn the turbines. Electricity generation is heavily dependent on river flow. Diversion Weir has very little flow regulation, which

5760-450: The upper part of the river does not take place. As a result, people remain living at or near the river and existing habitats are not flooded. Any pre-existing pattern of flooding will continue unaltered, which presents a flood risk to the facility and downstream areas. Due to their low impact, run-of-the-river dams can be implemented in existing irrigation dams with little to no change in the local fluvial ecosystem. Run-of-the-river power

5840-436: The upstream river catchment area of the dam, which may over top the dam with high velocity water if water level in reservoir is not reduced drastically in time. So the sluice gates are to be located at the bottom most feasible level economically when dead storage is more than 75% of total storage of the reservoir in a run of the river project. The survey work for the Kishanganga project was undertaken prior to 1988. In that year,

5920-424: The young Himalayan mountains and the adverse climate in winters posed considerable challenges to the construction team. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Kishanganga power plant in the state of Jammu and Kashmir on 19 May 2018. The 330MW Kishanganga hydropower station, work on which started in 2009, is one of the projects that India has fast-tracked in the volatile state amid frosty ties between

6000-546: Was 66 percent complete as of August 2013 while at the same time the diversion tunnel was 75 percent complete. US$ 475 million in funding was still not secured by the Economic Affairs Division at that time. In mid-2014, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif visited the construction site and expressed the hope that at least one generator would be operational by mid-2015. On 24 December 2014 a wall near the diversion tunnel's intake collapsed, killing four workers including

6080-610: Was awarded the construction contract in July 2007. After many years of delays, the first generator was commissioned in April 2018 and the entire project was completed in August 2018 when the fourth and last unit was synchronized with the national grid on 13 August and attained its maximum generation capacity of 969 MW on 14 August 2018. It will generate 5,150 GWh (gigawatt hour) per year at the levelised tariff of Rs 13.50 per unit for 30 years. The plant had managed to reach 1040 MW production on

6160-661: Was constructed under the supervision of the Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) and funding was achieved through the Neelum Jhelum Hydropower Company, taxes, bond offerings, middle-eastern and Chinese banks. WAPDA successfully secured loans from a consortium of Chinese banks and from Middle East. Tunnel-boring machines (TBM) were brought to help speed up the excavation of the remaining tunnels. They became operational in February 2013. The project

6240-413: Was given complete information about the project were protected. The court determined that the Neelum–Jhelum project did not exist at the time the Kishenganga project "crystallized". Hence, it was not protected by the treaty provisions. The court upheld India's right to proceed with the Kishanganga project. But it also concluded that the treaty and the customary international law required India to ensure

6320-432: Was stopped for the physical inspection of the head race tunnel to locate and fix the problem. It is alleged that the procurement of TBM machines resulted in $ 74 million in kickbacks, according to Transparency International Pakistan. Download coordinates as: Run-of-the-river Run-of-the-river, or ROR, hydroelectricity is considered ideal for streams or rivers that can sustain a minimum flow or those regulated by

6400-410: Was whether the diversion met the requirement of protecting "the then existing agricultural use or hydro-electric use by Pakistan". The court addressed the issue with a sophisticated Vienna Convention analysis. It rejected Pakistan's "ambulatory" interpretation that all its future uses that might evolve over time were protected, and upheld India's interpretation that only those uses existing when Pakistan

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