Media distorting facts to sabotage

ISLAMABAD: The Bhikki Power Plant and latest model of GE’s 9HA turbines being purchased for it is the latest target of the propaganda which is continuing for last few months against each and every new energy project in the country in the name of ‘journalism’.
Not only China-Pak Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects but almost every new energy project, especially the RLNG-based power projects, are a special target of this propaganda and efforts are made in a way that these energy projects could be made a failure before they can see light of the day.
Former top officials working in Pakistan’s energy sector on different key and decision-making positions who were separated from their positions because of their inefficiency and failure to equip themselves with the latest developments in the power generation technology and techniques and who failed to innovate country’s power sector or adding any new projects are now trying to fail every new endeavour to produce cheap electricity through efficient and clean energy plants.
They misguide media with concocted figures and wrong facts, 2013 power policy is also a major reason of this propaganda as now operation and maintenance (O&M) of power plants has to be carried out by an independent firm contracted for the purpose which has deprived these officials from a major source of their “income”.
The latest target in the list is the purchase of the newest model 9HA.01 of GE made gas turbines for the 1200 MW Bhikki Power Plant and it has been declared with full certainty that turbines are “yet-to-be-developed” and that they “neither exist nor are field-tested”. Referring to purchase agreement, it is also declared in a newspaper that “it is tantamount to turning Pakistan into a test lab for these new machines” it is also added that machines were not being sold and thus Pakistan was made scapegoat and made to buy these machines so these can be properly tested.
It was also declared in media

that this purchase can turn into ‘another’ mega scam of energy sector. Finally, it is also claimed again with full confidence that EPC (engineering, procurement and construction) contractor, Harbin Electric International (HEI) in this case, has no operational experience. Work at site on Bhikki plant was inaugurated only one week ago with the government’s claim that the plant will start producing electricity by December 2017.
There is no doubt that media criticism on any policy or project always play a positive role and helps in bringing improvements in overall system and specific venture but baseless criticism in form of propaganda serves otherwise. As a matter of fact, all the facts narrated in this latest campaign are totally wrong and baseless and trustworthy documents and record of purchases by world’s top economies and globally reputed leading companies prove otherwise.
Keeping aside prices and focusing on technology, GE made turbines 7HA and 9HA are second to none in the world are successfully used in world’s top economies like the US, Russia, China and even Japan. The fact that 9HA series gas turbines are developed and completely tested in 2014 is not merely claimed by credible GE on its web but the same is a fact known to all the players in the power sector. The 9HA machines not “exist”, “developed since long”, successfully tested but Électricité de France (EDF) of France, one of the world’s largest utilities, has even installed this latest 9HA turbines which will start production after few weeks. Over the last 40 years, EDF has installed more than 120 GE turbines for projects totalling 12,000 MWs of installed capacity. One wonders if these turbines are yet to be manufactured as to why even France’s top power company is officially claiming to have installed this latest 9HA turbine after verifying its successful testing.
Not only EDF web but reporting of Reuters and other top news outlets of the world can be checked for the research purpose to ascertain facts about latest GE-EDF joint ventures in France.
Though whole series of these gas turbines are time-tested and proven most efficient machines in the sector, the testing of the latest model is completely misunderstood.
Testing facility of the world top manufacturer of gas turbines is not some ambiguous exercise but is trusted worldwide. The testing is done in extreme conditions of temperature, pressure and environment which are rarely faced when these machines are operated in field just remove any doubt about functioning and efficiency of the machines. Any successful test in the field can never guarantee 100% performance of machines as extreme environmental conditions or very high temperature or pressure conditions not necessarily exist in every field site. According to GE, “the 9HA.01 air-cooled gas turbine is tested in Greenville, South Carolina.
The 866,000-pound machine promises to provide power producers the flexibility, efficiency and speed. GE invested $200 million to build a full-speed, full-load test stand at the company’s manufacturing and testing facility in Greenville, where engineers have been testing the H-class gas turbine off the grid under extreme conditions. Using nearly 5,000 sensors and instruments, more than 8,000 streams of data have been captured and analysed.
On basis of this successful off-grid test, not only France but even countries like Russia and Japan have placed orders for the purchase of 9HA turbines but it’s a scandal in Pakistan. The ‘method’ of ongoing anti-energy-projects campaign shows, had old model of the GE turbines purchased, the scandal would have been, ‘why old model is purchased instead of the latest and successfully tested which is even installed by France and being purchased by top economies like Russia and Japan’.
Now coming to propaganda about ‘operational experience’ of EPC contractor HEI, The News has verified that HEI has undertaken many combined cycle plants in the region. Keeping aside Bengal Tongi Gas Turbine Power Plant, Sylhet; Combined Cycle Power Plant outside Pakistan, HEI has developed Pakistan Kotri Combined Cycle Power Plant, Pakistan Faisalabad Combined Cycle Power Plant, UCH Combined Cycle Power Plant, Bin Qasim Combined Cycle Power Plant, and Pakistan Guddu 747MW Combined Cycle Power Plant.
Specific allegations of corruption and bad governance, if accurate, could play vital role in improvement and better performance. But targeting country’s energy projects, which will be lifeline of the country’s economy, without thorough research and accurate information only harm such crucial projects.
Certain former and present Wapda and energy sector top officials have their own interests and links with companies and have almost completely destroyed country’s energy sector and try to politicise such projects for their vested interests by propagating baseless facts.
No one is asking about failure of successive governments in initiating big power production projects during last 15 years which has pushed country’s economy into turmoil but majority is simply attacking every new energy project.
Energy experts worldwide are true in their opinion that criticism on government and governance on routine issues is good but criticism on lifeline energy projects must be made after complete research and double check of all facts.