LAHORE: More than 370MW were added to national grid on Friday after the second turbine of the 1,180MW Re-Gasified Liquefied Natural Gas (RLNG) fired thermal power plant at Bhikki (Sheikhupura) started generation on a trial basis.

Before this, the test run of the plant`s first turbine had been started successfully on March 11 (Saturday), adding about 400MW to the national grid.

The trial generadon of theplant`s second turbine was started during late Thursday night. `The turbine was operated on full scale and it touched a figure of 400MW.

Later,itsoperationwasobservedto be stable at 372MW on early Friday morning and finally it was synchronised with the national grid,` Ahad Khan Cheema, Chief Executive Officer of the Quaid-i-Azam Thermal Power (Private) Limited, a subsidiary of the Punjab government, told Dawn.

He said like the first turbine, the second turbine`s trial operation would be examined on technical grounds through tests and proto-cols etc, as it would not be run on a regular basis in coming days. And this process would continue for next couple of weeks, he said.

Mr Cheema said turbine`s trial power generation was in simple cycle mode and it would increase once it started generation in combined cycle mode after installation and trial operation of the third turbine (called steam turbine). He said the regular operadon of the two turbines would initially generate 750MW and it will gradually increase to 780MW or so. And after installation and operation of the third turbine, the combined cycleoperadon of the total three turbines will be completed, enabling the plant to generate about 1,180MW.

`In such situation, each turbine will generate over 393MW,` he said.

He said the Bhikki project was expected to be completed by December this year as per deadline fixed by the government.

`Since we are meeting our timeline in every aspect related to this project, it be a record if we succeed in accomplishing this mega project by December, this year,` he claimed.