BALLOKI - The under-construction 1223 Mega Watt (MW) Balloki Combined Cycle Power Plant, having latest and environment-friendly 9-H gas turbine technology, will start operating at its full capacity by January 2018.

Talking to media persons on Saturday, Acting General Manager (Project) Engineer Muhammad Aslam Butt said that in the first stage, the Plant would start adding 386.5 MW of electricity to the national grid by August 2017. To a question, he said the plant could be operated both on gas and diesel.

“However RLNG (Re-gasified Liquefied Natural Gas) would be its prime fuel, and the plant would generate maximum electricity with minimum fuel consumption due to use of fuel-efficient and environment-friendly H-9 gas turbine technology with 61 percent efficiency,” he said.

He said that the Sui Northern Gas Pipeline Limited (SNGPL) was laying the pipeline to supply RLNG to the plant site, and the task would be completed soon. “Balloki power project is a great example of deep-rooted Pak-China friendship,” he noted.

To a query, he said that electricity would be drawn from the plant through 500KV Grid Station being built by the National Transmission and Dispatch Company (NTDC) in nearby area of New Lahore.

To another question, he said that the project had been started in November 2015 under fast-track power generation policy of the government, and overall 30 percent work had so far been completed that included 50 percent civil and 18 percent electro-mechanical work, while power generation equipment/machines and gas turbines would start reaching the project site by next month.

Butt informed the project was a joint venture of Harbin Electric International Company (HEIC) China, and Habib Rafique Private Limited Pakistan, adding that HEIC was working on the electro-mechanical components while Habib Rafique was completing civil works. “NESPAK is providing consultancy services,” he added.

“The project was being executed according to its schedule,” he said, and added that 2160 strong workforce, including 280 engineers and supervisors, were working in three shifts 24/7 on various components- switchyard, water treatment plant, central control room, two fuel tanks of 2000 cubic meter capacity each, cooling tower, gas turbines, steam turbine, boilers, warehouse, mechanical services building and others to ensure timely completion of the project sprawling over 132 acres of land.

“The plant machinery is being shipped to Karachi from various destinations and would be reaching the project site by October this year,” he informed.

Giving further details, the Acting GM said that a 3.7 kilometer direct road access to the plant site from Main Multan Road was in final stages, and asserted that the road would be important in transportation of machinery, transformers and other electro-mechanical equipment to the site during construction phase, and on completion, it would provide easy access to fuel carriers and transportation of other related materials to Balloki Power Plant. While quoting HEIC Project Manager Fang, Acting GM Aslam Butt said some of the world’s best and latest technologies were being adopted to generate maximum electricity with minimum fuel. Citing project details, Habib Rafique Private Limited Pakistan’s Project Director Farrukh Alvi said that civil works were underway at a fast pace, and hoped that they would achieve substantial progress on this count within next five to six months.

Alvi added that international standards had been kept in view at every level/component of the project, besides ensuring foolproof security and workers safety standards. “Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif had laid foundation stone of the project in November 2015, and ever since three shifts of engineers, supervisors and labourers have been working 24/7 for project completion in a given timeframe,” he elaborated.