LAHORE - General Electric has announced three significant investments in Pakistan, valued at over US$50 million, to strengthen digitization, enhance local capabilities of GE Pakistan and its partners, and help develop new projects in clean energy sector.
Announced on the sidelines of GE Chairman Jeffrey Immelt’s visit, the new investments include the setting up of a dedicated Technology & Digital Center, and investment in local manufacturing and clean energy projects.
The GE has also signed an agreement to provide two high efficiency 9HA gas turbines and associated equipment to Bhikki Power Plant. Regarded as the world’s largest, the 9HA gas turbines have been selected by world’s leading utilities in the United States, Germany, France, United Kingdom, Japan, Korea, Russia, Turkey, Egypt, Braziland Argentina. The Bhikki plant will generate the equivalent power needed to supply more than six million Pakistani homes.
Further, GE’s Advanced Gas Path (AGP) solution is being installed on three 9E gas turbines at K-Electric’s Bin Qasim II Power Plant, which is expected to boost output and increase fuel efficiency.
GE solutions are being applied to two 6FA gas turbines and other major equipment, which will improve the facility’s operations for higher output, better efficiency and availability.
Today, GE technologies generate nearly a third of Pakistan’s electricity, and the company is the largest operations & maintenance (O&M) and long term maintenance services provider to several leading independent power producers (IPPs) in the country.
Among key agreements in the country, GE in 2008 signed a memorandum of understanding with the government to develop Pakistan’s energy resources to meet the projected demand by the year 2020. GE will assist the government in achieving its goals by engaging in Pakistan's energy, transportation and water sectors and will work to identify potential sources of funding and explore potential investment opportunities in those sectors.
The new GE Pakistan Technology & Digital Center also marks GE’s focus to introduce its Industrial Internet solutions for its partners to support them in accelerating productivity and operational efficiency. The Center will be grounds for customer and developer collaboration on development of software solutions and Industrial Internet applications and will deliver training to build the skills of Pakistan’s technical & skilled professionals.
Investment in local manufacturing will reinforce GE’s commitment to building local talent, lean manufacturing capability and indigenization of technology. GE is also looking to co-invest in several clean energy projects in the renewables and gas based sectors.