Pakistan to Launch Its First Commercial Wind ProjectGE Energy's Wind Turbine Technology


http://www.gepower.com/about/press/en/2004_press/112404.htm
(Link GE website)

Commercial wind power is coming to Pakistan.New Park Energy Phase I, a 45-megawatt installation that will be the first step of a 400-megawatt wind project, has been approved by the government of Pakistan, through its Alternative Energy Development Board (AEDB). NPE has committed to work with GE Energy to reach a goal of 1,000 megawatts. GE Energy, one of the world's leading wind turbine suppliers, has been selected to provide 30 of its 1.5-megawatt wind turbines for phase I.New Park Energy Phase I will be the first commercial wind energy project in Pakistan, where the government has set a goal to have 10% of the country's energy produced from renewable sources by the year 2015. As a significant part of that effort, AEDB has forecast the installation of 1800-2700 megawatts of wind power capacity by 2015, with an annual installation rate of 170-270 megawatts.The New Park Energy project will be located near Port Qasim and will provide wind-generated electricity to the Karachi Electric Supply Company, to help support residential and industrial expansion in the Karachi area. Plans call for the project to be developed in 45-megawatt increments. Groundbreaking for Phase I is scheduled for the third quarter of 2005, with the wind turbine installation to be completed by the end of that year. The total 400-megawatt installation is expected by 2007."We applaud Pakistan's aggressive program to increase its supply of wind power and are very pleased that our technology has been selected for the first commercial project in the country," said Steve Zwolinski, CEO of GE Energy's wind operations. "This strong activity in Pakistan is further evidence of how countries worldwide are embracing the benefits of wind energy."The project owner will be New Park Energy Ltd, a group that includes Dorsch Consult of Germany and Albario Engineering Limited of Lahore Pakistan.The New Park Energy wind project will help to meet Pakistan's energy shortage. It also is expected to open the doors to further wind energy development and encourage other foreign investors. "Special thanks goes to the government of Pakistan who encouraged this development", said Saeed Akhtar, Chief Executive Officer of New Park Energy.The GE 1.5-megawatt wind turbines selected for this project are among the world's most widely tested and sold wind turbines. Earlier this year, GE announced that its 1.5-megawatt machine was the first megawatt-class wind turbine to reach 2,500 installations worldwide.About

GE EnergyGE Energy (www.gepower.com) is one of the world's leading suppliers of power generation and energy delivery technology, with 2003 revenues of nearly $18.5 billion. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, GE Energy provides equipment, service and management solutions across the power generation, oil and gas, transmission and distribution, distributed power and energy rental industries.With wind turbine design, manufacturing and/or assembly facilities in Germany, Spain and the United States, GE Energy's current wind energy portfolio includes wind turbines with rated outputs ranging from 1,500 to 3,600 kilowatts, and support services ranging from project development assistance to operation and maintenance. The company has developed and/or installed more than 6,900 wind turbines with a total capacity exceeding 5,000 megawatts