Bayat natural gas-fired power plant, which is planned to be constructed in Sheberghan, the capital of Jowzjan Province, Afghanistan, will be the first gas-fired power plant in Afghanistan. Bayat Power, a subsidiary of Bayat Energy, is the project developer.
Bayat Power signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in October 2016 for a $250m Independent Power Producer (IPP) investment programme.
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The first phase of the programme includes the development of the Bayat-1 power plant with an initial capacity of 52MW, while the future phases will scale-up the capacity to 200MW.
The Government of Afghanistan gave final approval for phase one, which is 100% equity-financed, in April 2018.
Bayat Power is expected to invest $38.85m in the first phase of the natural gas-fired power plant, which will provide sufficient power for approximately one million Afghan homes and businesses.
The plant is expected to have an operational life of approximately 20 years.
Bayat-1 power plant make-up
The Bayat-1 power plant will be installed with Siemens SGT-A45 aero-derivative gas turbines. The SGT-A45 turbine is a mobile unit developed to address the need for fast power in regions with underdeveloped infrastructure.
Each unit can be pre-assembled at the manufacturing plant and transported on-site by air, land and sea.
The units feature a plug-and-play design and are completely tested at the factory, reducing the time needed for installation at the site. The mobile power plant can be rapidly deployed and installed within two weeks.
The turbine units will have low nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions and can be restarted at any time and restored to full power due to the absence of hot lockout restrictions.
The power plant will use the abundant gas resources available in the Sheberghan / Yatimtaq Region of Afghanistan for its operations.
Turbine features and technology
The SGT-A45 aero-derivative gas turbine is based on Siemens’ Industrial Trent 60 and Rolls-Royce Aero Engine technology. It can generate approximately 44MW of power and is capable of providing immediate power to the grid in less than eight minutes without the help of auxiliary systems.
The turbine is highly fuel-efficient and can operate on both gas and liquid fuels. It can also transit easily between both fuels while in operation.
The compact design of the gas turbine results in relatively lighter weight and enables easy transportation by air to its installation site.
Power purchase agreement
Bayat Power signed a power purchase agreement with the Government of Afghanistan to sell 40MW of the power generated by the plant to the government.
The generated power will be distributed through Afghanistan’s national power company Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat’s distribution network.
Contractors involved
Siemens was contracted to deliver the SGT-A45 aero-derivative gas turbines for the power plant.
Bayat power project benefits
The Bayat power project will facilitate the development of Afghanistan’s energy exploration, generation and distribution sector, while improving energy security.
The project is also expected to create a long-term revenue generation stream for the government through the sale of natural gas. It will also provide the people of Afghanistan with reliable, secure, scalable and inexpensive electric power.
The power plant construction is also expected to create a number of jobs across the agribusiness, mining and manufacturing sectors. It will also create new industries and provide new opportunities for the residents of both Afghanistan and the US.
