Guddu plant contribution to national grid rises 400-500MW

Increased gas supply by PPL, Mari Petroleum allows greater power generation

KARACHI: Guddu Thermal Power Station, Genco-II in Sindh, has increased its contribution to the national grid by 400-500 megawatts after receiving additional gas supplies in recent months.

Pakistan Petroleum Limited (PPL) and Mari Petroleum have increased gas supply by around 50 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd), reaching a total of 360 mmcfd being supplied to the 2,400MW power station in District Kashmore, Sindh.

The additional supply of gas has helped the power producer increase its production by 400-500MW to 1,400MW.

Currently, Guddu has 17 power units installed with some of them inefficiently outdated, giving very little or no production.

“We are installing a new gas compressor that will help us enhance production by around 100-150MW with the available quantity of gas at 360mmcfd,” an official at the power station told The Express Tribune.



The increased production has partly helped the government fulfil its commitment of easing load-shedding in the country, he quoted government officials as saying while praising Guddu power station’s performance in recent months.

Officials of PPL, an oil and gas exploration and production company, said they have increased gas supply to the power company from Kandhkot Gas Field (KGF) following the installation of new equipment at its plant.

PPL has executed an agreement with the Central Power Generation Company Limited (CPGCL) to provide up to 200 mmcfd to Genco-II on Monday (October 23). PPL MD and CEO Syed Wamiq Bokhari and CPGCL CEO Muhammad Ayub Ansari signed the agreement in Islamabad, according to a press statement.

The installation of new equipment and drilling of new wells at Kandhkot Gas Field (KGF) has helped PPL to produce additional 90mmscfd from the field (KFC).

With this, total gas production from the field has risen to 230mmscfd since May 2017 from 140mmscfd in financial year 2015-16, PPL said.

The increased gas production has helped save foreign exchange to the tune of $250-300 million which otherwise may have been spent on fuel imports. “The agreement formalises the increased gas supply from KGF which PPL committed to the government in September 2016.



“In addition to gas sales to GENCO II, PPL is also selling up to 50 mmcfd to Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited which also supplies to GTPS [and part of 360mmcfd to the power station],” PPL said.

To enhance production, six development wells were drilled in record nine months with multi-rig operation, successfully finding sweet spots in a mature field and enhancing field capacity by 90mmscfd of gas which is being delivered to GTPS.

Besides, two compressor units were added and production facilities were debottlenecked. “Looking ahead, three development wells are planned to be drilled [at KGF] this year to maintain the production plateau,” PPL said.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 25^th, 2017.

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