LAHORE: The work to install the second gas turbine and generator commenced on Thursday at Bhikki Power Plant project, being set up by the Punjab government in Sheikupura district.

“The first gas turbine had arrived about two months ago. Two of the three turbines to be installed at the 1180MW plant, have been imported from France,” says a spokesman for the project management. Each machine, weighing 400 tons, has a capacity of generating 358MW of electricity.

The spokesman claimed the two turbines would start generation before summer of 2017 and contribute 716MW to the national grid for reducing loadshedding. Two of the three generators, manufactured by General Electric and imported from US had also been transported to the project site, he added.

He said the civil work of the plant was also in full swing and so far more than half of the construction work had been completed.

He claimed that due to saving in production cost and better efficiency rate, there would be reduction in per unit cost of electricity after the plant became functional, he said.

Published in Dawn, October 21st, 2016