Lahore – GE (NYSE: 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 synchronization of GE’s H-class gas turbine at the Balloki Power Plant in
Pattoki, Punjab in Pakistan.
Developed by the Government of Pakistan 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 and will run on
liquefied natural gas (LNG).
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.
With the plant scheduled for commissioning later this year, GE and Harbin Electric have
achieved an impressive milestone, as planned, by completing the first fire test of the 9HA gas
turbine just 66 days after the unit was delivered to the project site. In addition, the
synchronization of the gas turbine has been achieved in only 74 days, the shortest duration in
which GE’s H-Class turbines have been test fired and simultaneously synchronized to the
national grid since arrival on site, underlining the strong collaboration of NPPMCL, GE and
Harbin Electric in driving the commissioning of the project. 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 synchronization, 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.
Rashid Mahmood Langrial, CEO of National Power Parks Management Company Limited
(NPPMCL) 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. With the first fire and synchronization of the first gas turbine, Balloki is on
schedule to enter operation and will support the people and national economic growth of
Pakistan. The record completion of first fire is a strong demonstration of the extraordinary team
work that is going into the project to ensure its timely commissioning.”
Mohamad Ali, President & CEO of GE's Gas Power Systems – Projects, in the Middle East,
North Africa, Pakistan and India said, “Balloki marked the 24 th and 25 th orders for our heavy
duty 9HA gas turbine globally, and the first fire and synchronization follows our similar track-
record in Bhikki and Haveli Bahadur Shah Power Plants. As the world’s largest and most
efficient gas turbines, GE’s 9HAs are changing the way power is delivered in Pakistan and
around the world.”
The first fire and synchronization of the Balloki 9HA gas turbine follows the recent success by
GE and Harbin Electric at the Bhikki Power Plant, which also runs on LNG and will generate up
to 1,180 MW – the equivalent power needed to supply about 2.5 million Pakistani homes. In
addition to the 9HA gas turbines, Balloki Power Plant will have a primary re-gasified LNG fuel
system, a secondary diesel fuel system, water cooled condensers and a cooling tower.
Sarim Sheikh, President & CEO of GE Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan added, “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. The first fire and synchronization at Balloki is another example of our focus on
working with our partner to deliver the projects as per schedule, which is now being brought
online after the synchronization of Bhikki and Haveli Bahadur Shah power plants.”
Weighing nearly 400 tons, the 9HA is the result of a US$2 billion investment by GE Power. Its
record-setting efficiency is delivered with the help of GE’s Digital Power Plant capabilities, which
help to unlock power that had previously been inaccessible. 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 optimization.
In June 2016, GE set a world record for powering the world’s most efficient combined-cycle
power plant – EDF’s Bouchain facility in France – with its HA technology. The 9HA, which
offers industry-leading flexibility, allows customers to maintain stable power production and
reliably accommodate grid variations through quick start up, rapid load changes and other
features. Reaching full load in less than 30 minutes, the HA can deliver reliable and flexible
operations 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. GE has supported the development of energy, transportation and
healthcare infrastructure in Pakistan for more than 50 years. Today, GE-built technologies can
generate the equivalent power needed to supply up to 25 per cent of the country’s electricity.
