Pakistan’s energy market is set to be enhanced following the successful synchronisation of the first of two supercritical turbines from GE Steam Power at China Power Hub Generation Company’s (CPHGC) new power plant.
According to a statement from GE, the project has been completed three months ahead of schedule.
The 1,320MW plant is located 25 kilometers southwest of the town of Hub, in Pakistan’s Balochistan province, and is a joint-venture project between China Power International Holding Limited (CPIH) and Pakistan’s Hub Power Company (HUBCO).
Construction of the CPHGC power plant at Hub began in March 2017 and is expected to begin commercial operation later this year.
The plant is one of the infrastructure ventures supported under the China Pakistan Economic Corridor.
This development ‘megaproject’ will connect Gwadar Port in southern Pakistan to Xinjiang, China’s northwestern autonomous region, through transportation and energy networks.
The project will support faster socio-economic development by helping to meet the country’s growing energy needs.
It will also help Pakistan diversify its energy mix and reduce dependence on expensive imported fuels, allowing the use of cheaper supplies of coal.
Core power generation equipment
Under an agreement signed in 2016, GE is supplying the core power generation equipment for the project, which comprises two units each of supercritical boilers, steam turbine and generator sets.
The project’s engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractors are Northwest Electric Power Design Institute Co. Ltd. (NWEPDI) and Tianjin Electric Power Construction Company (TEPC).
“This is a world-class example of GE’s global engineering, manufacturing and execution teams working closely together along with our customers to beat an already ambitious delivery schedule,” said Andreas Lusch, President & CEO of GE Steam Power.
Lusch added: “Reaching this key milestone early required a very high degree of technical, engineering and production coordination between our factories in Wuhan and Beijing, China and Wroclaw, Poland with the highest commitment to quality and on-time delivery for our customers.”
Also commenting to the milestone was the CEO of CPHGC, Zhao Yonggang, who noted that: “CPHGC is the first overseas thermal power project developed by State Power Investment Corporation under the Belt & Road Initiative. The 2X660MW Coal-Fired Power Project is a priority project under the China Pakistan Economic Corridor.
“It is testimony to our strong and close partnership with GE that we managed to reach this point well-ahead of schedule. We look forward to continuing our meaningful partnership with GE that promises to be beneficial for the power sector of Pakistan.”
Source: Esi-africa.com
