LAHORE: The Regasified Liquefied Natural Gas (RLNG) fired Bhiki Power Plant will start running on its installed capacity (1156MW-net and 1180MW-gross) by the end of next month, as the project is passing through various tests leading to its operation under the combined cycle mode.

The project is currently contributing around 390MW since Nov 18.

“Actually, the project is passing through the commissioning phase of combined cycle. Therefore, it is being run off and on and the scheduled outage is going on for combined cycle conversion. This process will continued by next month till commissioning of the project,” Quad-e-Azam Thermal Power (Private) Limited Chief Executive Officer Mr Ahad Khan Cheema told Dawn on Monday.

Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif had inaugurated the project in April this year after its two gas turbines (each having 390MW installed capacity) started generation in simple cycle mode.

Mr Cheema said within next 10 days, the engineers would start rotating the plant’s steam turbine, as it was an integral part of the combined cycle’s test phase. After conversion on the combined cycle, the plant would surely start generation according to its installed capacity, he claimed. However, it would depend on the temperatures. “Under the temperature curve, the plant will be generating 1156MW on 25 degree centigrade. And it may increase up to 1,200MW in winter,” he explained.

Meanwhile, work on Punjab’s second thermal power project near Trimmu (Jhang) has also been launched. “The civil work on the project is yet to start. However, we can say that the contractor has mobilized machinery to the site and started constructing batching plant, making roads, arranging security, designing, procurement and other arrangements that are required ahead of the civil and other works,” said Mr Cheema, who also heads this project implementation team being CEO of the Punjab Thermal Power (Private) Limited.

Published in Dawn, November 23rd, 2017