Daily Times

National Power Parks Management Company Limited (NPPMCL), Harbin Electric International Company Limited (HEI) and GE announced the completion of the Balloki Power Plant, following the successful conclusion of all commissioning works and performance-related tests.

NPPMCL Chief Executive Officer Rashid Mahmood said, “I am proud to announce that the Balloki project is now able to supply up to 1,223 megawatts of uninterrupted power to the national grid, the equivalent electricity needed to supply up to 2.5 million Pakistani homes.”

This is the second regasified liquefied natural gas (RLNG) power project developed by NPPMCL, the first being the Haveli Bahadur Shah (HBS) Power Plant, which entered full-fledged combined cycle commercial operations in May 2018.

Together, the HBS and Balloki plants have already added over 5.5 billion kilowatt hours of power to the national grid while in the commissioning phase and they will continue to deliver efficient, low cost power for up to 30 years, making a meaningful difference in the lives of the people of Pakistan.

The contract to set up the plant was awarded by NPPMCL to HEI, which is the engineering, procurement & construction (EPC) contractor for the project and responsible for its installation works and commissioning schedule. HEI sub-contracted GE to supply two of its gas turbines, some auxiliary equipment and technical advisory services. The plant had earlier realised an impressive milestone by synchronising a unit to the grid just 74 days after it was delivered to the project site, the shortest duration in which GEs technology has achieved this milestone anywhere in the world.

The successful completion of Balloki Power Plant underlines the strong collaboration among NPPMCL, HEI and GE in driving the commissioning of the project. People from more than 25 countries came together to work on this project.

“Together, we brought the world’s best to power Pakistan’s local project management with Chinese engineering expertise and power generation technologies that were developed by advanced research and development teams based in North America and Europe,” HEI Chief Operating Officer and General Director Li Chao said.

GEs HA technology has now helped to deliver two world records – one for powering the world’s most efficient combined-cycle power plant, based on achieving 63.08 percent gross efficiency at Chubu Electric Nishi-Nagoya Power Plant Block-1 in Japan and another for helping EDFs Bouchain Power Plant achieve 62.22 percent net combined cycle efficiency in France. It has thus been recognised for record-setting efficiency in both 60 hertz and 50 hertz markets. Balloki is the third RLNG project equipped with GEs HA technology to reach completion in Pakistan, following the HBS and Bhikki Power Plants. The three facilities are among the most efficient combined cycle power plants in the world today, adding a total of up to 3,600MW to Pakistan’s national grid. Efficiency matters as each point can generate up to $50 million of fuel savings over 10 years for a 1,000MW power plant.

“The Balloki project marked the 24th and 25th orders for GEs HA gas turbine globally and with its completion, we are proud that the third GE HA-equipped power plant in Pakistan is ready to add much-needed electricity to the national grid,” said Muhammad Ali, president & CEO of GEs Gas Power Systems Projects business in the Middle East, Pakistan and India.

As the world’s most efficient heavy-duty gas turbine, GEs HA technology is unlocking a new era of efficient, affordable and reliable power generation to the benefit of people, businesses and industries across Pakistan.

“GE is committed to bringing advanced technologies to Pakistan that assure the highest levels of productivity and efficiency,” added Sarim Sheikh, president & CEO of GE Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan.

For over half a century now, GE has led the transformation of the power sector in Pakistan and the successful start of commercial operations at Bhikki, HBS and now Balloki, bringing a total of 3,600MW to the national grid, is another example of our focus on working with our customers to deliver the world’s leading energy solutions to the country.

GEs HA technology has undergone full-speed, full-load validation tests at GEs Greenville, South Carolina facility in the US at extreme conditions well beyond those encountered while in service. Today, the HA has achieved more than 135,000 operating hours and is the fastest growing fleet of gas turbines in the world with 76 units ordered by over 25 customers across more than 15 countries, including the US, Mexico, Brazil, Pakistan, Japan, Bahrain, China, France and others.

Published in Daily Times, July 30^th 2018.