Comment by Riaz Haq on January 22, 2018 at 7:00pm

Pakistan's PM says confident GE will fix 'technical' issues with gas turbines
Drazen Jorgic, Kay Johnson

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-pakistan-primeminister-ge/pakist...

Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said on Monday that some of General Electric’s flagship new gas turbines in Pakistan were still suffering from technical issues such as “vibration” but he was confident the American company will fix the problems.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi speaks during an interview with Reuters in Islamabad, Pakistan January 22, 2018. REUTERS/Caren Firouz

The 9HA-class gas turbines are GE power division’s newest and most prestigious product but last year a series of delays and outages interrupted their installation in three power stations vital to Pakistan’s efforts to end electricity shortfalls.

GE (GE.N) has described last year’s problems as “teething” issues, but the troubles have frustrated Pakistani officials and concerned analysts.

GE, undergoing a restructuring, saw its share price tumble below $16 on Monday for the first time since 2011.

Former petroleum minister Abbasi told Reuters it was normal for problems to arise in large projects with new technology but he had faith in GE to fix the problems.

“There have been technical issues. GE is working to resolve them, and there are issues that remain today. Some have been solved, some are still there. Those will get resolved,” Abbasi told Reuters in an interview in the prime minister’s chamber in Pakistan’s Parliament in the capital Islamabad.

“I’m very confident that these will be very robust plants that will be a flagship for both GE and Pakistan.”

The Pakistani power plants are being upgraded to operate at 1,200 MW combined cycle, having worked in simple cycle mode - delivering around 800 MW per power plant - for much of 2017.

Abbasi did not elaborate on how many of the six turbines operating in three 1,200 MW power plants were suffering installation difficulties.

“Some have vibration issues, some have technical issues, GE is working on that,” said Abbasi, who is a trained engineer.

“These (power plants) are still with the EPC (engineering, procurement and construction) contractor under GE’s supervision, so we don’t have any liability for them at the moment.”

General Electric Co16.17

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China’s Harbin Electric International Company and SEPCOIII Electric Power Construction Corporation are the contractors building the power stations.

In response to Abbasi’s remarks, a GE spokesperson pointed to a statement the company issued to Reuters in December about last year’s problems.

“Together we’ve encountered and communicated openly about launch challenges and readily resolved issues during this time – it’s important to note that challenges are common with power plants of this size and complexity during the commissioning and early operations phase,” GE said in the statement.

“We remain committed to supporting customer and site needs with the highest standards of quality and excellence,” GE added.

The 9HA-class gas turbines entered the Guinness World Records for efficiency, based on the amount of electricity generated from natural gas at the power plant in Bouchain, France, where it was first put into commercial operation in 2016. Pakistan ordered six turbines in 2015.

GE’s record efficiency of 62.2 percent has since been exceeded by rival manufacturer Mitsubishi Hitachi Power systems. 

Comment by Riaz Haq on January 25, 2018 at 11:31am

Pakistan lowers electricity price by 2.99 rupees per unit
Source: Xinhua| 2018-01-25 22:07:15|Editor: Yurou

http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2018-01/25/c_136924891.htm

ISLAMABAD, Jan. 25 (Xinhua) -- Pakistani National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) announced on Thursday to reduce the electricity price by 2.99 rupees (2.7 U.S. cents) per unit under the fuel adjustment for the month of December, 2017.

The decision in this regard was taken in a public hearing, which was conducted under Chairman NEPRA Tariq Saddozai in Islamabad. The hearing was conducted upon request of the Central Power Purchasing Agency (CPPA) which requested the NEPRA to cut the power price.

The CPPA informed at the hearing that the generation of electricity during December was recorded at 7.76 billion units, which was produced at 5.11 rupees (4.6 U.S. cents) per unit while its cumulative cost was 40.60 billion rupees (0.37 billion U.S. dollars).

The power distribution companies charged consumers 8.10 rupees (7.3 U.S. cents) per unit during the month under review, it added.

Comment by Riaz Haq on January 25, 2018 at 1:56pm

CERC Sets ₹3.48/kWh as the National Average Power Purchase Cost for Open Access in India 

https://mercomindia.com/cerc-sets-%E2%82%B93-48kwh-national-average...

The Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) has set the national average power purchase cost (APPC) at ₹3.48 (~$0.0542)/kWh, barring a few states for open access. According to CERC the APPC will apply during the financial year (FY) 2017-18 and until further orders for deviation settlement with respect to open access.

Regional entities selling open access (large power consumers of 1 MW or more purchasing power in the open market) wind or solar power under REC framework and captive power projects that do not have a power purchase agreement will use APPC for settlement.

The new national APPC is ₹0.08 (~$0.0013) higher than the national APPC for FY 2016-17, which was ₹3.40 (~$0.0529)/kWh. The updated APPC will not apply to the states of Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Delhi, Jharkhand, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Assam, Kerala, and Rajasthan.

The total power purchase cost considered when computing the APPC excluded both transmission charges and the cost of generation or procurement from renewable energy sources. The national APPC for FY 2017-18 was determined by computing the average APPC for all states and union territories (UTs) weighted by the volume of the conventional power purchased by the respective state/UT.

In cases where multiple utilities operate in a single state, the state’s average power purchase cost was weighted by the total power for respective utilities to compute APPC for the entire state.

In its order, the CERC stated that since the state electricity regulatory commissions (SERCs) for a few states/UTs have not issued APPC orders or tariff orders in past financial years, the new APPC will not apply to those states.

Meanwhile, the APPC determined in FY 2014-15 will apply in Tamil Nadu and Tripura and the APPC determined in the FY 2015-16 tariff order will apply in Delhi and Jharkhand. The CERC added that the APPC applicable for Rajasthan distribution companies will be ₹3.4266 (~$0.0534)/kWh, in step with a new tariff order issued by the Rajasthan Electricity Regulatory Commission (RERC).

In the states of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Assam, and Kerala, the tariff order for FY 2016-17 will be applied as the APPC.

The CERC invited comments from stakeholders on the national APPC determination but received none.

Comment by Riaz Haq on May 11, 2018 at 9:20am

Haveli Bahadur Shah Power Plant Complete in Pakistan
The project is among the largest gas-fired combined cycle plants in the country
May 10, 2018

http://www.tdworld.com/utility-business/haveli-bahadur-shah-power-p...

Pakistan's Haveli Bahadur Shah (HBS) power plant has completed all commissioning activities and has now started combined cycle commercial operations to add up to 1,230 MW of reliable power to the national grid. The project is among the largest gas-fired combined cycle plants in the country, capable of supplying the equivalent power needed to meet the electricity needs of up to 2.5 million Pakistani homes and one of the most efficient combined cycle power plants in the world today.

“The start of combined cycle commercial operations at HBS Power Plant marks a major milestone in the power sector of Pakistan, supporting the government’s goal to enhance access to reliable, affordable power,” said Rashid Mahmood, CEO of National Power Parks Management Co. Ltd (NPPMCL) .

The HBS project was initiated by NPPMCL, which is solely owned by the Government of Pakistan through the Ministry of Water & Power, and was entirely funded through the Public-Sector Development Programme (PSDP). SEPCOIII Electric Power Construction Co., Ltd is the engineering, procurement and construction contractor for the project, responsible for setting up the power plant and all commissioning activities. GE has supplied two of its advanced HA heavy-duty gas turbines, one steam turbine and two heat recovery steam generators (HRSGs) for the plant, as well as technical advisory services.

Wang Zengxu, SEPCOIII’s Project Director at HBS said, “The Haveli Bahadur Shah Power Plant demonstrates the power of global collaboration with the application of best-in-class technology. We have drawn on a leading combination of exceptional Chinese engineering skills and know-how, together with GE’s record-setting technology for the facility, to build the most efficient combined cycle power plant in the country.”

The Haveli Bahadur Shah Power Plant is about the size of 65 football fields and staff from over 35 countries worked together to complete the project. The project’s execution has been among the fastest globally and three to four months shorter than typical for projects of comparable scale and complexity. Performance tests to date indicate that HBS has set world record levels of efficiency.



Pakistan's Haveli Bahadur Shah (HBS) power plant has completed all commissioning activities and has now started combined cycle commercial operations to add up to 1,230 MW of reliable power to the national grid. The project is among the largest gas-fired combined cycle plants in the country, capable of supplying the equivalent power needed to meet the electricity needs of up to 2.5 million Pakistani homes and one of the most efficient combined cycle power plants in the world today.

“The start of combined cycle commercial operations at HBS Power Plant marks a major milestone in the power sector of Pakistan, supporting the government’s goal to enhance access to reliable, affordable power,” said Rashid Mahmood, CEO of National Power Parks Management Co. Ltd (NPPMCL) .

The HBS project was initiated by NPPMCL, which is solely owned by the Government of Pakistan through the Ministry of Water & Power, and was entirely funded through the Public-Sector Development Programme (PSDP). SEPCOIII Electric Power Construction Co., Ltd is the engineering, procurement and construction contractor for the project, responsible for setting up the power plant and all commissioning activities. GE has supplied two of its advanced HA heavy-duty gas turbines, one steam turbine and two heat recovery steam generators (HRSGs) for the plant, as well as technical advisory services.

Comment by Riaz Haq on March 30, 2019 at 7:54am

#GE helps CPHGC in Hub #Pakistan achieve major #power plant milestone 3 months early. New #coal-fired plant will provide 1,320 megawatts (MW) to help Pakistan address its growing #energy needs and build energy independence https://www.powermag.com/press-releases/ge-helps-cphgc-in-pakistan-...

The first of two supercritical turbines from GE Steam Power has successfully synchronized to Pakistan’s national grid at China Power Hub Generation Company’s (CPHGC) new power plant three months ahead of schedule.

The 1,320 MW 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).

This important milestone was met just 27 months after the project first received go-ahead. 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. “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.”

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