KEL installs $5mln equipment to resume production

KARACHI: K-Electric Limited (KEL) is all set to restore its 180 megawatts of Bin Qasim power station over the coming weekend after fixing the plant with a $5-million equipment replacement, the company’s spokesperson said on Wednesday.

The spokesperson said technical teams of KEL and General Electric (GE) have begun installation of the ‘rotor’, imported from Holland at a cost of $5 million, at the 180MW Bin Qasim power station, “which is expected to be re-energised till May 20”.

“The rotor was airlifted from Holland through a Russian cargo plane and it reached Karachi on Wednesday morning,” KEL spokesperson added. “The 41-ton equipment has reached the site and installation works are underway.”

The 180MW plant at Bin Qasim, which developed a fault on April 17, is fixed with a GE turbine, and GE’s technical team is assisting the power utility in restoring the plant’s operation.

On delay in the rotor shipment, KEL spokesperson said the company needed the equipment matching the specifications and “for that purpose a sub-component has to be moved from Houston to Holland”.

“It’s a huge size equipment and cannot be kept in store, which is why it took some time in getting the rotor to the plant site,” the spokesperson added.

The process of installation and re-energising of the affected unit is expected to be completed in a few days, which would improve the power situation in the city.

In April, Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi stepped in to resolve the tussle between KEL and Sui South Gas Company (SSGC), leading to an increase in gas supply to power utility to 130 million metric cubic feet/day (mmcfd) from 90 mmcfd. The recent technical fault offset the benefits of increase in gas supply and to meet consumer demands of 2,700 megawatts.