Pakistan, Aug. 9 -- The 979-megawatt Neelum-Jhelum Hydropower Project is unlikely to resume electricity generation before 2028, as rehabilitation work is expected to continue for another two years. The project has remained closed since 2024 after a major fault disrupted operations. The prolonged shutdown has raised fresh concerns about the project's reliability, costs and long-term performance. The facility was completed at a cost of Rs508 billion after 18 years of construction.

Despite its massive investment and lengthy construction period, the project operated for less than four years before the fault forced it to shut down. A foreign company has now received a Rs35 billion contract to repair and rehabilitate the damaged infrastructure...