GE will supply and install the wind turbines for the project. Tricon Boston Consulting is a special purpose vehicle (SPV) set up by Sapphire Textile Mills to set up the wind farm in Jhimpir, Pakistan.
Engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract has been given to Power China, which will execute the Gharo-Keti Bandar Wind Corridor in Jhimpir, Sindh. For the wind project, GE will also be offering 10 years of operations and maintenance services, as part of the contract.
The American engineering conglomerate stated that its 1.7-103 wind turbines can offer up to a 30% increase in annual energy output compared to its predecessor. The increase has been attributed to the increase in the blade’s swept up area, helping in capturing more energy, while reducing the costs for manufacturers and operators.
In the past, GE supplied wind turbines for other wind projects in the power plants in the Jhimpir corridor in Thatta district, adding more clean power to Pakistan’s national grid.
The US Agency for International Development and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have estimated that Pakistan has more than 132GW of wind power potential and if this energy can be tapped, it can help Pakistan in adding to its Vision 2025 to produce 50% of its energy from indigenous resources.
GE Pakistan, Iran & Afghanistan president and CEO Sarim Sheikh said: “The demand for energy is increasing in Pakistan and is expected to grow in the coming years. Wind energy is a clean and low cost renewable resource available in the country and the potential, for the use of alternative technologies, is yet to be fully explored.
“Wind power provides an opportunity to reduce dependence on imported fossil fuel and, with wind output highest during summer months, provides the perfect complement to Pakistan’s energy needs when there is peak demand in the grid.”
Sapphire Wind Power Company CEO Nadeem Abdullah said: “We are setting up the largest wind project which will feed the Pakistani national grid benefiting all sections of the community – households, cities, villages and industries.
“Pakistan has tremendous potential for wind energy, which is competitive with other generation technologies while having zero emissions. We are proud to be partnering with GE, a world leader in power generation technologies that continues to be a solid partner for us in our Group’s existing thermal and wind generation projects.”
Image: GE to supply turbines for 150MW wind farm in Pakistan. Photo: Courtesy of Ali Farid/FreeImages.com.
