The National Power Parks Management Company Limited (NPPMCL), GE and SEPCOIII Electric Power Construction Corporation have achieved a critical milestone in record time with the first fire of a GE 9HA gas turbine installed at the Haveli Bahadur Shah (HBS) power plant. Located in the district of Jhang, about 300 kilometers from Lahore, the 1,230 megawatts (MW) project is the second of three power plants being set up in Pakistan that will run on imported supplies of liquefied natural gas (LNG).

First fire is a critical test where the gas turbine is switched on and run on fuel at the site. The turbine can generate up to 385 megawatts (MW) of reliable power that is expected to be distributed for residential and commercial use within a few weeks following first fire. This significant accomplishment was achieved just 94 days after the unit was delivered to the project site and is the shortest duration in which a GE H-class turbine has gone from arrival at site to first fire globally. The record speed with which the project is being executed has only been possible through the strong commitment of and collaboration among NPPMCL, GE and SEPCOIII.

"We are taking action to provide electricity to the people of Pakistan in order to end the loadshedding on an urgent basis," said Rashid Mahmood Langrial, CEO of National Power Parks Management Company Limited (NPPMCL), the owner company of HBS power plant. "Once complete and operating in combined cycle configuration, the Haveli Bahadur Shah power plant will help to meet up to 20 percent of the current electricity shortfall in Pakistan, providing the equivalent electricity needed to supply up to 2.5 million Pakistani homes using industry-leading technologies."-PR

Copyright Business Recorder, 2017