ISLAMABAD: Engro has signed an agreement with GE Power to bring improvement in operational reliability at its six power plants located in Pakistan and Nigeria by implementing the Asset Performance Management (APM) solution.
According to a press statement, GE Power (NYSE: GE) signed a 10-year agreement with Engro to implement the APM solution, powered by Predix, at six power plants; the Engro Powergen Qadirpur Ltd 220 megawatts (MW) combined cycle power plant, Engro 660 MW Thar power plant, Kolachi 450 MW combined cycle power plant and two upcoming wind power generation sites in Pakistan, as well as the GEL 75 MW facility in Nigeria.
The plants are expected to generate up to 1,500 MW all together and are equipped with both GE and non-GE power generation equipment. The APM solution will enable Engro to boost the operational reliability of the equipment installed at these facilities.
The agreement was signed by Engro Powergen Qadirpur Ltd Chief Executive Officer Shahab Qadir and GE’s Power Digital business in the Middle East & Africa Vice President Farid Tareen in the presence of senior executives from both companies at GE Digital’s 6th Annual Minds+Machines Conference held in San Francisco on October 25 and 26.
Engro Corporation Senior Vice President Jahangir Piracha said, “We first adopted GE’s Digital Power Plant solutions in 2015 at the 220 MW Engro Powergen Qadirpur Limited power plant and have since seen first-hand how the solutions can help improve site operations. Today’s agreement is a testament to our belief that Predix and APM can play a vital role in our continuous search to enhance the reliability and reduce the unplanned downtime of our assets.”
GE Power in the Middle East & Africa Chief Digital Officer Bhanu Shekhar said, “Engro has a well-earned reputation as an innovation leader and is defining the future of the power generation industry through the adoption of GE’s digital industrial solutions. GE is honoured to be a part of Engro’s journey and excited that together we are contributing towards achieving uninterrupted, affordable electricity for residential and commercial use in Pakistan and Nigeria.”
Today, the APM solution has helped customers improve the reliability of power generating machines, reducing unplanned downtime by up to 5 per cent, reducing false positive alerts by up to 75 per cent and reducing operations and maintenance costs by up to 25 per cent. Looking across the industry, a report issued by the World Economic Forum in 2016 stated that $ 1.3 trillion of value can be realised purely by deploying and adopting digital technologies over the next ten years in the electricity sector.
Most recently in 2016, Engro entered a digital alliance with GE under which it would jointly develop software applications on Predix. Under this alliance, Engro has also signed a deal with GE to collaborate on the development of digital smelter solutions to improve the aluminium smelting process and contribute to enhanced operational efficiency and productivity.
GE has supported the development of the energy sector in Pakistan for more than 50 years and GE-built technologies provide up to 25 per cent of the electricity generated in the country. The company continues to play a vital role in the development of key infrastructure projects across Pakistan by bringing advanced innovations and technologies in the energy, transportation and healthcare sectors to the country.
