Pakistan's First Hydroelectric Project Powered by IBM

Water-powered energy source to save Pakistan approximately US$100 million per year in fuel costs

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May 03, 2013, 12:01 ET

ARMONK, N.Y., May 3, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) Remaco, the builder of Pakistan's first private sector hydroelectric power scheme, has selected IBM (NYSE: IBM) software to streamline operations and help meet the business challenges of running the US$235 million plant. The addition of this power source will replace about 135,000 tons of imported oil, reducing carbon emissions and saving Pakistan approximately US$100 million per year in fuel costs.¹

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Demand for electricity in Pakistan is growing rapidly in tandem with an increasing population. Currently, the total power generation capacity of Pakistan is 23,538 Mega Watts¹ (MW) with energy consumption having grown by almost 80 percent in the last 15 years.² The Pakistan Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) forecasts the country's electricity demand will increase to around 40,000 MW by 2020.¹

TNB Remaco, and Operation and Maintenance Contract Partner with builder Laraib Energy Limited, recently completed the 84 MW New Bong Hydroelectric Power Complex, which is located on the Jhelum River in Azad Jammu and Kashmir. The plant is expected to help meet Pakistan's growing energy needs by adding an estimated net annual of 540 Gigawatt hours (GWh) of energy to the national grid, and will enhance the water power generation capacity of Independent Power Producers (IPP) by 40 percent.³

"To be a global one-stop service provider for power-related works, we have to continue serving our customers with high-end quality services through transformational use of technology. IBM's solution will play a vital role in running the systems efficiently and helping to pave the way for rapid and full scale development of Pakistan's hydropower potential," said TNB President Che Khalib.

TNB Remaco selected IBM asset management software to automate its manual systems to provide predictive maintenance while helping to meet increased resource demands. Previously, finalizing approvals and searching for relevant information was a time consuming task as data was scattered across multiple systems. IBM software provides TNB Remaco's power plant with a single, consolidated view of all their energy data as well as asset and service management data, enabling employees to make better informed decisions about the plant's operations. The solution will also assist in planning inventory to meet precise maintenance demands, making the correct parts available at the right location whenever needed.

"The hydropower project operated by TNB Remaco plays a critical role in adding needed energy resources to Pakistan," said Deepak Advani, General Manager, Cloud and Smarter Infrastructure, IBM. "IBM's Smarter Infrastructure software not only helps automate business process and better manage resources at the plant, it will also create an interconnected system that enables plant operators to make more informed decisions to efficiently run an energy complex."

With global electricity demand expected to grow more than 70 percent by 2035⁴, hydropower, along with other renewable energy sources will become critical. By 2035, renewable energy will account for almost one-third of total electricity output.⁵Helping Pakistan tap into new energy resources underscores IBM's commitment to helping companies across the globe operate more efficiently as they work to meet rising energy demand.

IBM Smarter Infrastructure technology used by TNB Remaco includes IBM Maximo software. The software provides condition-based maintenance capabilities and ensures physical assets are safe, reliable and available to support an organization's business goals.

For more information on IBM Maximo software, visit: http://www.ibm.com/tivoli/maximo.

For more information about IBM Smarter Physical Infrastructure solutions, visit: http://www.ibm.com/ibm/ibmforum/lagaude/smarter_physical_infrastructure.shtml.

About TNB Remaco Pakistan Pvt
TNB Remaco Pakistan Pvt Limited is the subsidiary of TNB Remaco Malaysia; TNB REMACO is mainly involved in the energy industry. It provides repair and maintenance services for power plant equipment. In addition, the company has ventured into supplying spare parts and operations and maintenance services for the various power plants.