LAHORE: The first LNG-based 9HA turbine at Balloki Power Plant in Pattoki has successfully completed its first fire test, just 66 days after the unit was delivered to the project site, a statement said on Thursday.
General Electric (GE) and Harbin Electric International Company Limited (HEI) have set a new global record for the shortest duration from delivery on-site to first fire and synchronisation of GE’s H-class gas turbine in Pattoki, some 80 kilometres from Lahore.
Developed by the federal government through the National Power Parks Management Company Limited (NPPMCL), the 1.2 gigawatt (GW) combined cycle Balloki Power Plant is a milestone project that aims to address the growing power needs of the country.
GE has supplied two of its record-setting 9HA.01 gas turbines and one steam turbine with Harbin Electric as the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) partner for the project.
The plant has been scheduled for commissioning later this year. As per the statement, GE and Harbin Electric have achieved the first fire milestone, as planned, as well as the synchronisation of the gas turbine which was achieved in only 74 days, the shortest duration in which GE’s H-Class turbines have been test fired and simultaneously synchronised to the national grid since arrival on site.
The previous record was at the Haveli Bahadur Shah Power Plant, also in Pakistan, where the duration from delivery to first fire test was eight days longer than Balloki.
First fire is a critical test which sees the gas turbine switched on and operated with fuel at the site. The following step is synchronisation, in which the unit is first connected to the national grid.
The first 9HA gas turbine at Balloki is now delivering up to 380 megawatts (MW) of energy. NPPMCL CEO Rashid Mahmood Langrial said, “We are committed to delivering on the government’s vision to strengthen power generation in Pakistan and to meet the growing needs for power for residential and commercial use.”
GE’s Gas Power Systems – Projects, in the Middle East, North Africa, Pakistan and India president and CEO Mohamad Ali said, “Balloki marked the 24th and 25th orders for our heavy duty 9HA gas turbine globally, and the first fire and synchronisation follows our similar track- record in Bhikki and Haveli Bahadur Shah Power Plants.”
GE’s 9HA LNG-based turbine installed at the Bhikki Power Plant would generate up to 1,180MW, equivalent to the power needs of about 2.5 million homes.
In addition to the 9HA gas turbines, Balloki Power Plant would have a primary re-gasified LNG fuel system, a secondary diesel fuel system, water cooled condensers, and a cooling tower.
GE Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan president and CEO Sarim Sheikh said, “As a long- term partner in supporting the power generation industry of Pakistan, we are committed to bringing the world’s leading technologies that assure the highest levels of productivity and efficiency.”
Reaching full load in less than 30 minutes, the nearly 400 tons turbine was the result of a $2 billion investment by GE Power. The turbine’s digital control system uses real-time data to deliver better plant outcomes with stable and efficient operations, while providing valuable predictive insights for higher reliability and optimisation.
It was able to deliver not just for large power plants and utilities but also for captive power plants or smaller grids. Pakistan is the first country in the Middle East, North Africa, Turkey and South Asia region to use the 9HA gas turbines. Today, GE-built technologies generate the equivalent power needed to supply up to 25 percent of the country’s electricity.
This article was published in The News on July 28th, 2017.