LAHORE: Quaid-e-Azam Thermal Power (Private) Limited (QATPL), Harbin Electric International Company Limited (HEI) and GE Power announced the completion of combined cycle commissioning activities and the start of full-fledged commercial operations on May 20, 2018, 00:00 hours at the Bhikki Power Plant. The facility is now adding up to 1,180 megawatts (MW) of power to the national grid – the equivalent power needed to supply up to 2.4 million Pakistani homes.
The plant is owned by QATPL, HEI is the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor for the project, responsible for setting up the power plant and all commissioning activities and GE has supplied two advanced HA heavy-duty gas turbines, associated equipment and technical advisory services for the facility.
“We realize that the country’s energy needs are immediate and growing and have left no stone unturned in meeting these needs,” said Akhtar Hussain, Chief Operating Officer of QATPL. “Bhikki Power Plant is expected to run for up to 30 years and will help to power homes, villages, towns and cities across Pakistan. The selection of GE’s HA gas turbines, which have helped to deliver world record levels of combined cycle efficiency, will help ensure that the power generated at Bhikki is reliable, affordable and leaves a smaller environmental footprint than average, to the benefit of millions of Pakistanis.”
Li Chao, Chief Operation Officer of HEI and General Director of 1st Power Division of HEI added, “The Bhikki Power Plant is a testament to our commitment to power Pakistan and fuel progress.”
