LAHORE  - Wapda on Monday claimed that it delivered 132.642 million units of hydel electricity to the national grid on May 31 in comparison to 104.17 million units generated on the same day last year.
This increased contribution of 28.472 million units is the result of increased water releases from the dams by IRSA on the demand of provinces, it stated.
The electricity generation from hydel power stations operated by Wapda depends upon water indents of IRSA.
It may be recalled that Wapda delivers more than 30 billion units of low-cost electricity to the national grid per annum.
The role being played by hydel electricity in keeping the power tariff at present level can be measured from the fact that according to data of January 2015, per unit generation cost of hydel electricity is merely Rs. 2.62 on an average as compared to Rs.7.43 for gas, Rs.12.91 for coal, Rs.12.98 for bagasse, Rs.17.58 for furnace oil, Rs.23.43 for diesel (HSD), Rs. 5.98 for nuclear and Rs.11.62 for wind. As per data the basket price of electricity in the system stands at Rs.10.03 per unit.
The hydel power generation capacity of Wapda stands at about 7000 megawatt (MW), which is about one-third of the total installed capacity in the country.
The Wapda spokesperson in a separate statement said that there was a rock burst at about 12:15 on Sunday night in right tunnel of the Neelum Jhelum Hydropower Project, where two Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs) were deployed. As a result of the accident, three local labourers died and 14 others including a Chinese sustained injuries, it claimed. The injured were immediately shifted to the CMH Muzaffarabad, where best possible medical facilities are being provided to them. He further said that no labourer is trapped in the tunnel.
The spokesman categorically said that the accident at the tunnel of Neelum Jhelum Hydropower Project was caused by the natural phenomenon of rock burst. He said that there was neither any leakage of gas from the tunnel nor the tunnel collapsed.