To address Karachi's power shortage, KESC entered into an EPC contract with Harbin, China's leading exporter of large scale power plant equipment in June 2008 to build a gas-fired 560MW Combined Cycle Power Plant (CCPP) at Bin Qasim.
The designed efficiency of the 560MW CCPP plant is about 43.0 percent, comparatively much higher than other plants, which will dramatically improve the average efficiency of KESC's generation fleet.
At present, pre-construction activities are in progress which involves construction of accommodation for contractor, sub contractors, designers and commissioning team. Additionally, an office area, water storage tank and a wastewater tank are also under construction. A 630KVA transformer has been provided by KESC as a source of temporary power, while water is also being supplied from BQPS to meet contractual obligations. Ground breaking is expected in the second quarter of 2010. Target completion date for the first gas turbine on open cycle is expected in June 2011, while combined cycle operations are expected by April 2012.-PR