National News

KARACHI, (APP): The General Electric (GE) has announced a deal with China Machinery Engineering Corp (CMEC) to supply two boilers each 330 megawatt (MW) to Engro Powergen Thar (Private) Limited, CMEC’s joint venture with Pakistani companies for the Thar Block II Power Plant.
The project will support Pakistan’s move to use its ample coal reserves
in the Thar Desert to meet power generation needs, spur economic development and bring energy security to the country.
The Thar II project will be the country’s first project fired with
Pakistani Thar lignite from the Thar Coalfield. It will help reduce the pressure on foreign exchange reserves, support Pakistan’s energy independence and promote the country’s goal under Vision 2025 to increase the percentage of indigenous sources of power generation to over 50 percent, said a GE statement.
Pakistan relies on imported crude oil, diesel and natural gas with limited energy coming from domestic fuels.
The two GE Circulating Fluidized Bed (CFB) boilers will help deliver a
total of 660 MW to Pakistan while burning the local high-moisture lignite reserves of the Thar field, said the statement.
The CFB boilers operate at a low combustion temperature to minimise the
amount of nitrogen oxides released, providing coal-rich markets with the opportunity to reduce emissions and operating costs while increasing output, it said.
GE is a technology leader in the CFB boiler field, with proven
experience burning reliably high-moisture lignite. The boilers used in the project will be manufactured in Wuhan, China, home to GE’s largest boiler manufacturing facility. It has the capacity to produce large CFB boilers and other high-efficiency boilers in the 600 to 1,000-MW range.
CMEC and three local companies are jointly developing the Thar Block II plant.
The project represents growing cooperation along the China-Pakistan
Economic Corridor (CPEC), a major development megaproject intending to connect Port Gwadar in southern Pakistan to Xinjiang, China’s northwestern autonomous region, through transportation and energy networks.
“We are very proud to contribute to this significant project of the
CPEC, with strategic importance for reliable use of local Pakistani lignite for power generation, while showcasing our state-of-the-art and highly competitive boiler technology to customers and lenders. With our leading technology and global know-how, we are committed to offer optimized and reliable solutions to customers and support the long-term development of the local energy industry and local economy,” said Andreas Lusch, President of GE Power Steam Power System.
GE Power is a world leader in power generation with deep domain
expertise to help customers deliver electricity from a wide spectrum of fuel sources. It is transforming the electricity industry with the digital power plant, the world’s largest and most efficient gas turbine, full balance of plant, upgrade and service solutions as well as data-leveraging software.
The innovative technologies and digital offerings help make power more
affordable, reliable, accessible and sustainable.