MUZAFFARABAD: Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) has intensified efforts to harness its vast hydropower potential of approximately 8,000 megawatts (MW), with key projects progressing to address energy needs and bolster local development. This was stated by Khawaja Masood Qadir, Managing Director of the AJK Power Development Organisation (PDO), during an interaction with media persons on Tuesday, hours before the commissioning of the 3.22 MW Chham Fall Hydel Project in the Jhelum Valley district. Located about 62 kilometres southeast of Muzaffarabad near the Line of Control, the Chham Waterfall is both a scenic tourist attraction and the site of a transformative energy initiative. Mr Qadir said the feasibility study and PC-1 for the Chham Fall Hydel Project were prepared in 2019 and 2020, respectively, but work on the project commenced only in August 2022 due to delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The revised PC-1, costing Rs933.7 million, was approved in February 2024. The project, he added, was expected to generate an average of 15.7 million units of electricity annually, benefiting the local population and 56 surrounding villages. He also revealed that another 3.22 MW project downstream from Chham Fall, named after Nardajjian village, was nearing completion. Civil works were almost finished, and machinery had already been delivered to the site. “If Rs200 million in funds are provided during the third and fourth quarters of this fiscal year, the Nardajjian project will be commissioned by June,” he said. Mr Qadir further said that the 2 MW Kappa Bannamolah Powerhouse in Leepa Valley had been extended to 4 MW, with machinery installation expected to be completed by June. “The Jhelum Valley district currently generates 13.1 MW of hydropower against a demand of 15 MW, making it self-sufficient in electricity during summer. However, reduced water flow in winter necessitates reliance on Wapda’s electricity, which we aim to address through strategic planning,” he said. Highlighting the revival of delayed projects, Mr Qadir said the 48 MW Jagran-II Hydropower Project in Neelum Valley, which had been stalled for seven years with contractors demobilised, had been revived due to the efforts of Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwarul Haq. Contractors were remobilised, and the project was expected to be completed within six months. “This means we will add 57 megawatts of power to the system in the next six months,” he said, claiming this was more than what had been achieved in the past two decades. About future projects, Mr Qadir said the Saudi Fund for Development (SFD) had pledged nearly Rs22 billion for two major hydropower projects in Neelum Valley: the 22 MW Jagran-IV Project, costing Rs6.7 billion, and the 48 MW Shonthar Hydropower Project, costing Rs 15 billion. He informed that the PC-1 for both projects had been approved by the Central Working Party, and preliminary loan agreements had been signed between the Economic Affairs Division and SFD. The AJK government had already acquired land for the Jagran-IV project using its own resources. “Funds have also been allocated for constructing transmission lines to connect these projects to the Muzaffarabad grid. Once operational, these projects will locally power the Muzaffarabad Division, eliminating load-shedding issues and creating job opportunities,” he said.