On the same day (Feb 11, 2008) when South Bound Lyari Expressway was inaugurated, another important project of Pakistan reached its opening milestone. This one is called the DHA Desalination and Power Plant. It is the first project of its kind in Pakistan which desalinates water from the Arabian Sea for human consumption as well as provides Electrical Power to the KESC Grid.
The Capacity:
The capacity of the Power plant is 94 MW (Mega Watts) and that of the desalination plant is 3 MIGD (Million Imperial Gallons per Day). Electrical Power generated here is supplied to the 132 KV (kilo-volt) KESC grid whereas the Desalinated Water is supplied to CBC/DHA for local distribution.
The fuel for the Power Plant is Natural Gas which will be provided by the Sui Southern Gas Company Limited (SSGCL) via 20″ diameter pipeline. The Electrical Power is generated by two turbines. One is Gas fired with the generation capacity of 67MW. The other is Steam fired with the generation capacity of 27 MW.
Who Did What:
The project is carried out by DHA Cogen Limited (DCL). It is a Public Limited Company which was incorporated in the city of Karachi on January 19, 2003. The company is a joint venture between Defence Housing Authority, Karachi (DHA) and Sacoden Investments, Singapore (SI). The contract for building the Power Plant was given to Siemens AG Germany (SAG) who also supplied the two turbines used in the plant. The Desalination Plant is built by Alfa Level, Copenhagen, Denmark (ALC) and the civil works is carried out by Siemens Pakistan (SPK).
Following is the photo of DHA Desalination Plant
The Civil Works component of the project was a huge task in itself which included the necessary support infrastructure in terms of fuel gas supply, seawater intake, 132KV Sub Station, water treatment, under ground storage, workshop, stores, control room and administration offices.
The Processes:
A neat thing about this project is that a by-product of power generation i.e. steam is used as a fuel to desalinate water. The two power turbines of the Power station are connected together (as a single shaft configuration) along with a Heat Recovery Steam Generator (HRSG). The steam turbine is designed to exhaust steam directly to the two MED (multi effect distillation) plants to provide energy input to the MED desalination process.
The photo to the above right shows MED desalination plant installed at HUBCO Karachi. It is similar in MED processes but much smaller in design to the DHA Desalination plant.
Another Success Story of Pakistani Engineers
Here I also want to mention yet another success story coming out of Pakistan’s Public universities. The local project Manager of Siemens AG Germany overseeing the work on the Power Plant is Mr. Yasir Jilani, a EE graduate from the NED University of Engineering and Technology, Karachi. I want to present it yet another success story of Engineering graduates coming out of Pakistan’s public Educational System.
Location of the Plant
Plant is located at the southern tip of DHA phase VIII. Google Earth has not been updated for Karachi for many years now therefore it still shows a flat ground in most of DHA phase VIII. The pointer in following image shows where the present day plant is located
In an age when Pakistan is facing serious power shortage, this plant is certainly a welcome addition.
Pakistan’s Other Water Desalination Plants:
1. A desalination plant was installed in 1987 in Saindak Copper Mines in Balochistan. This plant uses the brackish water Reverse Osmosis (BWRO) process.
2. Another desalination plant was installed in 1995 and commissioned in 1996 at the HUBCO power station outside Karachi. This plant uses Reheat type Multi-effect distillation (MED) desalination.
3. KANUPP near Karachi operates a Sea Water Reverse Osmosis (SWRO) desalination plant to meet its operating requirements.
References:
1. DHA Cogen Limited
2. Dawn Newspaper Report on Plant Inauguration
3. Google Earth
@Bilal Zuberi
I’ve handled quite a few transactions for these new IPPs being set up. There’s this website set up by Private Power & Infrastructure Board which covers all the details that you may be interested in.
In short the tariff at which these IPPs would sell their electricity to NEPRA (the policy stipulates that they sell only to NEPRA if they want a license to build and operate an IPP) is divided into two parts: Capacity Purchase Price (CPP) and Energy Purchase Price (EPP). The CPP would cover for all fixed costs (Ops and maintenance, debt the IPP would undertake to finance the project). The EPP is for fuel components. All escalations related to fuel prices and forex rates are transferable to NEPRA and the agreements are covered by GoP guarantees. It’s a very safe investment and guarantees a rather stable RoI.
One thing that I mentioned in my earlier comment for this post is that all these plants either depend on Sui Gas or diesel. Both are becoming harder to provide…
Owais: Thanks for this. Pakistan, esp the northern areas (inc. Punjab) have had a severe crunch of natural gas so this project in Karachi is a bit mind-boggling - the last I read, additional CNG station permits have been put on hold, and there is a concern if too many cars are switching over to CNG. I wonder what the cost of electricity production is from a unit such as this - note how natural gas prices have risen around the world in the past 2 years.
Mir: Interesting note about your personal renewable energy generation. I would like to discuss your installations a bit more. If you are interested, please email me at bilal@alum.mit.edu. You are probably generating tons of nega-watts, i.e. the watts we do not use (an idea promoted by Amory Lovins and others). I am interested in understanding the fundamental economics of renewable energy in Pakistan. Solar PV is barely sustainable, even in the US, but some other not-so-sexy technologies may be interesting, e.g. solar-thermal, solar concentrators, and wind where economical.
Also - if there are people reading this who understand the IPP tariff structure, esp the long-term government contracting and the pricing of electricity in Pakistan, please let me know. We may have some interesting ideas to collect and share with a larger audience.
We have a small wind turbine that my Dad designed and got made by our mechanic installed at our home. That along with some solar panels provides sufficient energy for the household. There is a tubewell dug back in the 60s to the depth advised by the traditional wisdom of a Khuh-wala for optimal water softness and taste, which is sufficient for our use and to help the neighbours. We considered geothermal filaments but the cost is prohibitive. So its down to a desi-made one-home self-contained unit for water and power, rather than add more burden to government’s limited capacity, which should really go to support industry rather than domestic consumption. We also spend summer in the tehkhana (even a fan is not necessary) and don’t use the airconditioners except for guests. Sadly, sleeping in a traditional sehen out in the summer nights is a faded memory because of law and order. Besides, those countless stars are just a faded memory now thanks to pollution, except when you go to the village.
PMA Saheb, I’ll let you know the location in a bit. Problem with Google earth is that it is not updated for Karachi area for more than 2 years now. Many new roads and developments don’t show up.
Approximate location of plant is off Defense phase VIII near the islands on which large scale urban development is going on. I’ll let you know the exact location in a bit.
So Owais, where is this plant located precisely. I will like to ‘Google’ it down to see it myself. Very nice and informative article. There is nothing our people can not do if they have the will and determination. Well done Pakistani engineers and their international collaborators.
Excellent article. You run a great blog.
Do you know what percentage of water this plant delivers and what are the future plans?
Is anyone in Pakistan using geothermal, wind and tidal energy
Moin
http”//www.moinansari.wordpress.com
Excellent article. You run a great blog
Moin
http://www.moinasnari.wordpress.com
@very smart, if low tide takes water’s dead level back to 2km then it will be a concern. I am not familiar with specs on what is the minimum water level needed for operation here. The 2 km low tide retreat sounds too much to me. Are you sure about it?
There is also a chance that the change in tide pattern is due to land reclamation going on in the area. Anyways, it is not an excuse. If true, a solution must be sought. Laying a pipe may be one solution. If I think out loud, then digging a deeper channel by some sort of dredging may be another solution.
Last year, the small port of Pasni in Balochistan got silted with sand so bad that it rendered it un-operational. I’ve heard govt is now using dredging there to deepen the channel. Port Qasim and KPT both employ full-time dredgers (except they work in a bit deeper water). Something like that could be used here depending on water depth around the plant. Do you know what is the average water depth around the plant’s water intake?