GE, CPGHC &HUBCO Achieve KeyMilestones to Power Pakistan

First GE steam turbine at the China Power Hub Generation Company (Pvt.) Limited (CPHGC) power plant delivered and synchronized to the national grid, 3 months ahead of schedule.

GE technology injected into an existing unit at the 1,292 megawatts (MW) Hub Power Plant, leads to over 3.5 percent fuel and CO2savings per kilowatt hour.

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) – China Power Hub Generation Company (Pvt.) Limited (CPHGC), HUBCO, and GE’s Steam Power (NYSE: GE)business announced the completion of critical milestones at the CPHGC and Hub Power Plants located in district Lasbela, province Balochistan, Pakistan.

Delivering ahead of schedule at the CPHGC power plant

GE delivered the first steam turbine for the 1,320 MW CPHGC power plant and helped synchronize it to the grid three months ahead of schedule, just 27 months after the project received notice to proceed.

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).  

“CPHGC is the first overseas thermal power project developed by State Power Investment Corporation (SPIC) under the Belt & Road Initiative. The 2X660MW coal-fired power project is a priority project under the China Pakistan Economic Corridor,” said Mr. Zhao Yonggang, CEO, CPHGC. “We look forward to continuing our meaningful partnership with GE that promises to be beneficial for the power sector of Pakistan.”

The CPHGC Power Plant, under a joint venture of China Power International Holding Limited (CPIH) with Pakistan’s Hub Power Company (HUBCO), is expected to be in full commercial operation by the mid of 2019 and is one of the infrastructure ventures supported under the China Pakistan Economic Corridor, a large development mega project that aims to connect Gwadar Port in southern Pakistan to Xinjiang, China’s northwestern autonomous region, through transportation and energy networks. The project will help Pakistan diversify its energy mix and reduce dependence on expensive imported fuels, allowing a significant reduction of the cost of electricity generation in Pakistan.

Enhancing performance at the Hub Power Plant

The 1,292 MW Hub Power Plant is Pakistan’s first and largest independent power plant and has been the country’s most efficient steam power facility since 1997. HUBCO has launched a project to enhance the efficiency and life-cycle of the facility through retrofit works that replace the old existing turbine rotor and inner cylinder assemblies with advanced GE steam turbine technology within the old existing turbine casing.

“Pakistan’s energy demands will continue to grow,and this warranted targeted retrofits of the steam turbine units to increase their output and long-term reliability while also extending their maintenance intervals. I am proud to share that we have completed retrofit works on a steam turbine at the Hub Power Plant, significantly enhancing the unit’s operational performance,” said Khalid Mansoor, CEO of Hubco. “These achievements mark significant progress towards delivering on Hubco and GE’s joint, long-term commitment to strengthen Pakistan’s power sector.” 

The retrofit of the first steam turbine is now complete, translating into an efficiency increase of more than 1.3 percent, over 3.5 percent fuel savings per kilowatt hour, greater mechanical reliability and lower emissions per megawatt hour of electricity generated. The unit has already started feeding more reliable and efficient power to the national grid.The project showcases GE’s ability to successfully retrofit steam turbines developed by other original equipment manufacturers(oOEM) and the benefits that such services offer power plant owners and operators.

“The modernization and improved utilization of existing power generation facilities offers a cost-effective route to enhance energy output and the reliability of electricity supplies across Pakistan,” said Michael Keroulle, President & CEO of GE Steam Power business in the Middle East, North Africa and Turkey. “The successful delivery of both new equipment at the CPHGC and upgrade services at Hub Power Plants, respectively,illustrates GE’s continuous commitment and ability to support customers with end-to-end solutions that enhance performance across the life-cycle of projects.”

“With Pakistan’s energy needs continuing to grow, we will need a holistic mix of advanced equipment, maintenance services and modernization works to better position the country to meet future energy challenges,” said Sarim Sheikh, President & CEO of GE Pakistan and Afghanistan. “From the world’s most efficient gas turbines and steam turbines, through modern renewable technologies up to first-of-their-kind retrofit works for installed thermal power plants and innovative digital industrial solutions, GE is proud to serve Pakistan with advanced, tailored solutions that address the specific requirements of the country.”

GE’s steam turbines equip up to 30 percent of coal-fired steam power plants and 50 percent of nuclear power plants around the world. In Pakistan, GE has supported the development of energy infrastructure for more than 50 years and today, GE-built technologies can generate the equivalent power needed to supply up to 30 percent of the country’s electricity.