Second unit of GE gas turbine arrives in Pakistan

BHIKKI: The second unit of the world’s most efficient heavy duty GE 9HA.01 gas turbines has arrived from Belfort, France, in Pakistan to equip the 1,180MW Bhikki Combined Cycle Power Plant in Punjab, a statement said on Thursday.

The turbine follows an earlier unit that arrived in August, less than a year after the commencement of the Bhikki project. Both units are expected to enter commercial operation in 2017.

Once complete, the Bhikki facility will help meet up to 20 percent of the current energy shortfall, contributing to the government of Pakistan’s goals under Vision 2025 to expand access to electricity to over 90 percent of the population.

“The Bhikki regasified liquefied natural gas (RLNG) project is an essential part of the Government of Punjab’s strategy to meet citizens’ needs for power,” stated Chief Minister of Punjab, Shahbaz Sharif.

“Addressing Pakistan’s critical energy shortage is a top priority of the government, and the arrival of the two GE 9HA gas turbines at Bhikki highlights our commitment to bringing the world’s most advanced and efficient power generation technologies to the country.”

“The fact that we have secured the world’s most advanced technology while saving billions of rupees through a transparent financial process takes us closer to our objective of providing uninterrupted and affordable power to the people.”

GE has invested almost $2 billion in the development of HA technology and the turbine provides a combination of the highest efficiency and superior operational flexibility, leading the industry in total life cycle value.

GE’s HA technology was recently recognized by Guinness World Records for powering the world’s most efficient combined-cycle power plant in Bouchain, France based on an achieved efficiency rate of up to 62.22 percent.

Today, the technology is being rapidly adopted by customers around the world, including those in the UK, the USA, Japan, Korea, Germany, Egypt and other countries.

The arrival of the 9HA units at Bhikki marks the first time that the technology has been brought to Pakistan.

“GE’s HA gas turbines lead the industry with more reliable and cost-effective conversion of gas to power,” said Joe Mastrangelo, President & CEO of GE Power’s Gas Power Systems business.

“We’re very proud to bring our world-record-setting technology here - the first turbine less than one year after announcing this project and the second today - and look forward to helping generate more power to stimulate the economy and meet the everyday needs of Pakistanis.”

GE entered an agreement to provide two high-efficiency 9HA.01 gas turbines and associated equipment to Harbin Electric International Company Limited (HEI) for the Bhikki Combined Cycle Power Plant in October 2015. HEI is providing engineering, procurement and construction services for the facility.