The International Energy Agency (IEA) forecasts that total electricity demand in Pakistan will rise to more than 49,000 megawatts (MW) by 2025. The government has laid out ambitious goals under Vision 2025 to increase access to electricity from 67 percent to over 90 percent of the population and to reduce average cost per unit by over 25 percent by improving the generation mix.
This was stated in a seminar organised by the GE, highlighted the company's extensive breadth of advanced digital industrial technologies, solutions and services that can help meet these goals at the events. GE hosted 'GE Technology Day' seminar under the theme 'Powering Pakistan, Fueling Progress'. The events welcomed a select group of government end users, engineering, procurement and construction contractors, industry experts, power plant owners and operators, consultants and others.
A special highlight of the events was GE's leading HA technology, the world's largest and most efficient gas turbine, which has set industry benchmarks in the cost-effective conversion of fuel to electricity.
The turbine helped EDF's power plant in Bouchain, France, achieve a world record in combined cycle efficiency of 62.22 percent. It has undergone full-speed, full-load validation tests at extreme conditions well beyond those encountered while in service and completed more than 12,000 operating hours. Sixty HA units have already been ordered to date by more than 15 customers across 15 countries, including Pakistan, the US, Brazil, Japan, Bahrain, China and others.
Ghassan Barghout, President & CEO of GE's Gas Power Systems - Sales for the Middle East, North Africa and Pakistan said, "GE Technology Days in Pakistan underline our commitment to support the country in strengthening its power infrastructure, reducing operational costs, and diversifying its energy sources. The events serve as a significant platform for stakeholders to meet and discuss how the power sector can become more efficient and productive by drawing on the latest technologies and digital capabilities. I am particularly proud to note the ongoing successful execution of the HA-powered projects in Pakistan. Last week, the Prime Minister inaugurated the Haveli Bahadur Shah (HBS) project to mark commencement of simple cycle operations at the site and we now have four 9HA gas turbines feeding power into the national grid at the Bhikki and HBS plants. The projects represent the fastest speed at which power plants of comparable size have ever been set up in Pakistan's 70-year history."-PR