The Haveli Bahadur Shah (HBS) Power Plant was initiated by the National Power Parks Management Company Private Limited (NPPMCL), which is solely owned by the Government of Pakistan through the Ministry of Water & Power. Under the scope of the project, SEPCOIII is responsible for providing engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) services and balance of plant (BoP) systems, as well as two high-efficiency GE 9HA gas turbines, one steam turbine and two heat recovery steam generators (HRSG) for the project.
While working towards the completion of combined-cycle operations at HBS, the facilitywas disconnected from the national grid and lost all AC power. Like any other plant, the units at HBS are designed to handle the loss of AC power by drawing on power from backup systems, which allow the turbines to slow down and switch off safely. The backup power systems operated effectively on one gas turbine (GT1) but not the other (GT2). After necessary examinations and checks, GT1 has returned to full service. However, the backuppower systems that GT2 was running on did not function as required, leading to an impact on its bearings and the unit is not yet operational.
An investigation is currently underwayto determine the cause behind the loss of functionality of the emergency backup power system. Moreover, keeping in view the energy shortfall in the country and the urgent need to add more power to the grid, NPPMCL, SEPCOIII and GE have undertaken immediate actions to return GT2 to service as soon as possible.
These efforts include the following:
Calling in cross-functional experts from around the world – including France, China, the USA and the UAE – to evaluate damages, the reasons behind them and to ensure effective measures are taken to prevent such an occurrence in the future
Mobilization of various functions within the organization to identify the quickest possible path to operation without compromising the performance of the unit
Daily progress checks
The measures above are expected to help bring the unit back to servicein less than60 days’ time.
It is also pertinent to note that the HBS project is expected to be the world’s most efficient combined cycle power plant upon completion, at 62.44% net efficiency; this is primarily due to it being equipped with GE’s HA technology, the world’s most efficient heavy duty gas turbines. The technology has undergone full-speed, full-load validation tests at extreme conditions well beyond those encountered while in service and completed more than 20,000 operating hours. It is at the heart of EDF’s power plant at Bouchain, France, helping the facility set a world record for combined cycle efficiency at 62.22%.
Today, GE’s HA technology is among the fastest growing fleet of gas turbines in the world with:
60+ units ordered to date by 15+ customers
Orders across 15+ countries, including the US, Brazil, Japan, Bahrain, China and others
110+ technology selections
GE’s HA units also equip the Bhikki and Balloki power plants in Pakistan, both of which are currently generating power for the national grid.
The Government of Pakistan, NPPMCL, SEPCOIII and GE remain committed to strengthening the power infrastructure in Pakistan and meeting citizens’ growing needs for affordable, reliable and sustainable energy.
Shafia Naseer,
Islamabad, August 19.
