The Karachi Electric Supply Company (KESC) on Saturday announced successful test firing of the second gas turbine of 560-megawatt (MW) Bin Qasim Power Station-II (BQPS-II) project.
“The base load test went according to the plan, paving the way for a series of other tests,” stated a press release issued by the KESC.
After the successful synchronisation of the first of the three turbines of the BQPS-II in June, this is another major milestone achieved well within the stipulated time period. Meanwhile, the first gas turbine has completed the critical load rejection test and is now ready for reliability and performance test runs, added the statement.
However, to sustain the operations of this state-of-the-art and highly efficient plant, the BQPS-II requires a steady quota of 130mmcfd natural gas supply, as earlier agreed with the Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC).
These plants will operate in an open-cycle mode for now and each of the three turbines is expected to add approximately 115MW to the KESC grid, cumulatively pooling with 345MW to the company’s generation capability.
With the addition of a steam turbine in the first quarter of 2012, the combined-cycle mode will be completed and the entire project will operate with the total generation of 560MW.
The BQPS-II project is based on a massive $450 million investment, financed through multi-lateral funding partnered through international financial institutions namely, Asian Development Bank, International Finance Corporation and a syndicate of Pakistani banks comprising National Bank of Pakistan, Habib Bank Limited and Standard Chartered Bank.
The overall thermal efficiency of the station is claimed to be amongst the highest in the region for a project of this magnitude.
The power company considers being ahead on the timelines on the fast track project is a remarkable feat, considering the odds that it has recently braved, in the form of violence, operational disruption and sabotage.
According to the statement, the BQPS-II is one of the largest under-construction private power plants in Pakistan, designed using proven energy efficient technology. The turbo machinery for this plant has been procured from GE (France) and Harbin Power Engineering (China).
In addition to the BQPS II project, the KESC has also completed three separate projects, enabling addition of 450MW capacity to the grid: the 220MW CCPP Korangi inaugurated by Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani in 2010; and two other gas-fired plants of 90MW each at KGTPS and SGTPS.
Beyond capacity addition, major overhauls and comprehensive maintenance plans at six generation units of the Bin Qasim Power Station have brought in more than 50 additional MWs to the KESC’s existing generation capacity.
