GE has achieved a major milestone in its contract with China Machinery Engineering (CMEC) with the delivery of critical equipment for Thar Block II power plant in Pakistan.
The company has supplied equipment for boilers, including cyclones, water walls, tubes sections, soot blowers and air preheaters at the plant.
In May 2016, GE entered into a contract with CMEC to supply two 330 MW Circulating Fluidized Bed (CFB) boilers for the project. The boiler technology is claimed to be suitable for newly-mined low-calorific value coals such as Pakistani Thar lignite that release relatively low amounts of heat.
The cyclones delivered by GE are important core components of CFB boilers and help to re-circulate combustion exhaust gas, also called flue gas, to ensure reliable, slow and complete combustion of difficult-to-burn fuels. The technology also minimizes the amount of nitrogen oxide released, while capturing sulfur oxide, reducing the plant’s overall carbon footprint.
The Thar II plant is expected to be commissioned in 2019, and will add 660 MW of power to the national grid. The Thar II plant, the country’s first project using Pakistani Thar lignite, is expected to help the country in achieving its goal to increase the percentage of indigenous sources of power generation to over 50% under Vision 2025.
CMEC vice president Fang Yanshui said, “The Thar Block II Power Plant is progressing ahead of planned timelines to deliver additional power to the national grid, utilizing the rich coal reserves in Thar. This marks a landmark initiative for the country as it seeks to diversify energy sources to meet the growing demand for power.”