Naeem Shafique

former country executive at GE Power Systems

Compiled from 1 recorded interview. Every statement below is drawn from the passage cited beside it.

Naeem Shafique is a mechanical engineer and the former country executive at GE Power Systems. He was born in Peshawar and graduated from UET Peshawar in 1981. He started with GE on the sales and marketing side and established an office in Lahore in 1994 or 1995.

Early life and background

Shafique was born in Peshawar. His father was a civil engineer who worked with the Air Force and the Army. His father was transferred every three or four years, so the family moved with him. [1]

He attended a federal school in Murree. He is one of eight brothers and sisters. His father bought a television so the family could watch the Apollo 11 mission in 1969. [1]

Education

Shafique completed matriculation and FSC in Peshawar. He chose to study mechanical engineering, and he studied it at UET Peshawar. He was admitted to the engineering programme in 1976 and graduated in 1981. His batch was the first after UET Peshawar became an independent university. [1]

Early career

A local subsidiary of GE Canada was building a power plant at Tarbela. Shafique learned that the company was looking for an engineer for some work. He told the company he was there to learn, having just completed engineering, and was not looking for money. One or two weeks later, he was told he was being hired. About three months in, the company told him it would keep him as long as the project continued. [1]

Shafique has described a mentor who helped develop his abilities. He was moved around throughout the whole cycle of a power project, and he learned electrical work and generators as well as mechanical work. After seven to eight months he was asked to work independently, and he led the fourth unit. By the end of 1982 all four units had been commissioned. [1]

Career at GE

He has said his team was working on a 600 MW thermal project at one point. After a year or a year and a half, he was moved to Dubai, then Saudi Arabia, then Iran. He established an office in Lahore in 1994 or 1995. After his children started school, he told his company that he would remain in Pakistan, as relocating abroad had become difficult. He also covered Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Turkey. [1]

GE Power Systems

Shafique has said the first GE Digital contract for a power plant was signed in Pakistan. He has said GE and Engro formed a joint venture for GE Digital software and data analysis. According to him, the Engro joint venture ran for a while and then ended. [1]

Views

He has named Mitsubishi and Siemens as the main competitors from the gas turbine standpoint. He has said there are primarily three players in the world: Siemens, GE and Mitsubishi. According to Shafique, Chinese firms did not develop their own gas turbines and took licences instead. He has said a thermal power plant is normally designed to operate for 30 years, and that gas turbines installed in Pakistan in 1968 are still operating. [1]

Shafique has said Pakistan began relying more on thermal power without fully realising it. He has said thermal power is very expensive because it runs on imported gas and coal. He has also said IPPs were paid for capacity and energy, a standard model that is not unusual, and that without IPPs Pakistan might not have the generation it has today. [1]

He has said consumers pay in rupees while the power is bought in dollars. He has said the rupee-dollar gap adds to what is known as circular debt. He has said summer demand reaches 26 to 28 thousand MW while winter demand is 10 to 12 thousand MW. He has said 15,000 to 16,000 MW of idle capacity still has to be maintained. [1]

Shafique has said captive power is about 6,000 to 6,500 MW. He has said industry was asked in the 1990s to build its own power plants during the energy crisis. He has also said about 37,000 MW is available at any time from an installed base of about 47,000 MW. [1]

He has said Pakistan built large plants but cannot deliver the power to consumers. He has said the transmission and distribution system is the main bottleneck and should be improved. He has said transmission and distribution losses are high on technical grounds. [1]

Shafique has said there is no need for public-sector generation, which should be private. He has said all DISCOs should be privatised as soon as possible. He has said transmission may not need privatisation, but distribution, the last mile, should have been privatised. [1]

He has said Pakistan has only five or six large solar plants. He has said solar and wind output depends on the weather and follows a different cycle. He has said variable solar and wind output affects grid stability, so the system must adapt. He has said Pakistan often curtails renewable load because its system cannot manage variable supply. He has said renewable capacity should be added while the transmission system is upgraded. [1]

Shafique has said hydro projects involve equipment that is very large, huge and heavy. He has said a standalone dam like Tarbela would never deliver 100 percent output. He has said Pakistan missed the hydro opportunity first and then the Thar coal opportunity, and that Thar coal currently generates about 2,600 to 3,000 MW. [1]

He has said Pakistan is one of the lowest carbon-producing countries. He has said there should be a policy to promote electric vehicles, which the government is working on. He has said EVs and electric heaters could fill the roughly 9,000 MW buffer. [1]

Shafique has said Pakistan has a young population, talent and natural resources. He has said he expects Pakistan to be a significant player in the global market by 2050. He has also said Pakistan's youth growth is on a positive track. [1]

Timeline

1969
His father bought a television so the family could watch the Apollo 11 mission.[1]
1982
All four units of the power project had been commissioned by the end of the year.[1]
1994
Established an office in Lahore, in 1994 or 1995.[1]
1998
Began a period in which he says his company held 100% market share in gas turbine based combined-cycle projects in Pakistan.[1]

Appearances

DateTitleWhere
2023-11-03 Why Pakistan built the power and still cannot deliver it Thought Behind Things

Frequently asked questions

Who is Naeem Shafique?

Naeem Shafique is a mechanical engineer and the former country executive at GE Power Systems. He was born in Peshawar and graduated from UET Peshawar in 1981.[1]

Where did Naeem Shafique study?

Naeem Shafique studied mechanical engineering at UET Peshawar. He was admitted to the engineering programme in 1976 and graduated in 1981. He completed matriculation and FSC in Peshawar.[1]

Where is Naeem Shafique from?

Naeem Shafique was born in Peshawar. His father was a civil engineer who worked with the Air Force and the Army and was transferred every three or four years, so the family moved with him.[1]

What is Naeem Shafique known for?

Naeem Shafique is known as the former country executive at GE Power Systems. He has said his company held 100% market share in gas turbine based combined-cycle thermal power projects in Pakistan from 1998 onwards. He has also said he did not lose a single gas turbine order in Pakistan.[1]

What does Naeem Shafique say is the main bottleneck in Pakistan's power system?

Naeem Shafique has said Pakistan built large plants but cannot deliver the power to consumers. He has said the transmission and distribution system is the main bottleneck and should be improved.[1]

Does Naeem Shafique support privatising electricity distribution?

Naeem Shafique has said all DISCOs should be privatised as soon as possible. He has said transmission may not need privatisation, but distribution, the last mile, should have been privatised.[1]

References

  1. Why Pakistan built the power and still cannot deliver it . Thought Behind Things , 2023-11-03.
Show the source passages (80 statements)
  1. He was born in Peshawar. Paida Peshawar mein huye.
  2. His father was a civil engineer who worked with the Air Force and the Army. he was a civil engineer working with Air Force and Army
  3. His father was transferred every three or four years, so the family moved with him. woh har teen chaar saal baad woh transfer ho jaati thi, toh phir unke saath chale jaate the
  4. He attended a federal school in Murree. Murree mein hamara school jo tha, Federal ka, FG Public school mein the.
  5. He is one of eight brothers and sisters. we are a large family, I mean we are 8 brothers and sisters
  6. His father bought a television so the family could watch the Apollo 11 mission in 1969. jab Apollo 11 69 mein gaya tha, toh humne kaha woh dekhna humne zaroor hai. So my father bought the television
  7. He completed matriculation in Peshawar. maine matric Peshawar se kiya, FG Public school se
  8. He completed FSC in Peshawar. Then FSC Edwards College Peshawar se
  9. He studied mechanical engineering at UET Peshawar. So did my mechanical engineering from UET Peshawar.
  10. He was admitted to the engineering programme in 1976 and graduated in 1981. Yeh 76 mein jab maine engineering admission hua, haan ji and graduated in 81.
  11. His batch was the first after UET Peshawar became an independent university. Hamara pehla batch tha jo UET ke Peshawar se as an independent university ban gayi thi
  12. He chose to study mechanical engineering. But I said maine mechanical karni hai. So I got into mechanical engineering.
  13. A local subsidiary of GE Canada was building a power plant at Tarbela. Woh the a Canadian company, GE Canada ki local subsidiary thi jo unhone power plant build kar rahe the Tarbela mein
  14. He learned that the company was looking for an engineer for some work. Wahin mujhe pata chala ke they are looking for an engineer jo ke unko kuch kaam ke liye chahiye.
  15. He told the company he was there to learn, having just completed engineering, and was not looking for money. I am here to just learn kyunke maine abhi abhi woh engineering ki hai. I am not looking for money.
  16. One or two weeks later, he was told he was being hired. Toh kuch do ek hafte baad mujhe kehta hai, now we are hiring you.
  17. About three months in, the company told him it would keep him as long as the project continued. About teesre mahine unhone kaha ke ji now you are not going anywhere. Hum aapko rakhenge jab tak yeh project chalega
  18. He described a mentor who helped develop his abilities. Lloyd Welcher was his name, kyunke I think he was my mentor in bringing my keh le abilities
  19. He was moved around throughout the whole cycle of a power project. usne mujhe sirf mechanical side pe rakha, usne poore din hi moved me around throughout the cycle of the power project
  20. He learned electrical work and generators as well as mechanical work. Usse yeh hua ke mujhe mechanical ke saath saath electrical ka bhi pata chala, generator ka pata chala
  21. After seven to eight months he was asked to work independently. saat aath mahine baad usne kaha ji ab aap independently kiya karein
  22. He led the fourth unit. Fourth unit ko maine lead kiya aur woh mere saath tha.
  23. By the end of 1982 all four units had been commissioned. by end of 82 we commissioned all the chaaro unit chalne lag gaye
  24. He went to the United States for an interview in March. And in March I went to US for an interview.
  25. He described a training programme in the USA that lasted 34 weeks. It was a 34 weeks training program in USA.
  26. He started with GE on the sales and marketing side. Toh that's how I started with GE from the sales perspective marketing perspective.
  27. He spent time in Singapore and in Japan. jis tarah Singapore mein maine time guzara us waqt, Japan mein
  28. He said his team was working on a 600 MW thermal project at that time. Basically hum us waqt Guddu ka project kar rahe the, Guddu 600 megawatt thermal project
  29. After a year or a year and a half, he was moved to Dubai, then Saudi Arabia, then Iran. Saal dedh saal baad they moved me to Dubai, then Saudi, then Iran
  30. He established an office in Lahore in 1994 or 1995. Lahore office maine establish kiya 94, 95 mein
  31. After his children started school, he told his company that he would remain in Pakistan, as relocating abroad had become difficult. But then bachche school jaane shuru ho gaye, family jab aapki aa gayi, Pakistan mein aa gaye toh woh zara phir samajh aayi ke ab bahar jaana mushkil hoga toh I told my company ke yaar main ab Pakistan hi relocate rahunga
  32. He covered Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Turkey. Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, yeh saari countries phir hum yahan Turkey, so I was covering all of these countries
  33. He is the former country executive at GE Power Systems. Muhammad Naeem Shafique is the Ex-Country Executive at GE Power Systems.
  34. Naeem Shafique has said his company held 100% market share in gas turbine based combined-cycle thermal power projects in Pakistan from 1998 onwards. from 98 ke baad jitne thermal power projects Pakistan mein lage, gas turbine based combined cycle, we had the 100% market share in Pakistan
  35. Naeem Shafique has said he did not lose a single gas turbine order in Pakistan. I did not lose a single gas turbine order in Pakistan.
  36. Naeem Shafique has said his company won all three RLNG projects, with GE equipment in all three and different EPC contractors. we won all three projects. Equipment is all GE in all three RLNG projects with different EPC contractors of course
  37. Naeem Shafique has said his company implemented the world's most efficient project, at 62.4% efficiency. the world most efficient project implement kiya which is in fact Haveli Bahadur Shah. 62.4% efficiency
  38. Naeem Shafique has said the first GE Digital contract for a power plant was signed in Pakistan. Toh humne Pakistan mein in fact the GE power ka jo first GE digital contract from a power plant jisko humne from data acquisition se uski performance improvement karni thi the first contract globally was signed in Pakistan
  39. Naeem Shafique has said GE and Engro formed a joint venture for GE Digital software and data analysis. we sort of like got together with Engro aur unke saath humne basically GE Digital ki kuch software banane the kuch woh data ki jo aapki analysis hai uske liye toh that sort of like humne ek joint venture unse kiya tha
  40. Naeem Shafique has said the Engro joint venture ran for a while and then ended. woh joint venture nahi hua woh kuch arsa chala phir woh khatam ho gaya then Engro went his own on his own and GE ne phir apna apna khud karna shuru kar diya
  41. Naeem Shafique has said one has to be very active in the market, which he was. you have to be very active in the market, which I was very
  42. Naeem Shafique has described very close liaison with potential developers and early interaction with projects. Very close liaison with the potential developers and early keh le interaction with the projects
  43. Naeem Shafique has said the service his company gave customers was very good compared with competitors. equipment humne service jo di customers ko was very good, comparative to our competition
  44. Naeem Shafique has said a thermal power plant is normally designed to operate for 30 years. normally a power plant, thermal power plant is designed to operate for 30 years
  45. Naeem Shafique has said gas turbines installed in Pakistan in 1968 are still operating. Pakistan mein gas turbines hain jo ke 68 mein install hue the and they are still operating
  46. Naeem Shafique has named Mitsubishi and Siemens as the main competitors from the gas turbine standpoint. from the gas turbine standpoint Mitsubishi and Siemens
  47. Naeem Shafique has said there are primarily three players in the world: Siemens, GE and Mitsubishi. primarily there are three players in the world Siemens, GE and Mitsubishi
  48. Naeem Shafique has said Chinese firms did not develop their own gas turbines and took licences instead. Chinese did not do any of their own gas turbine. Unhone yes is technology ki unhone licensing li as a licensee
  49. He said hydro projects involve equipment that is very large, huge and heavy. Hydro mein aapki everything is big, huge, heavy
  50. He said Pakistan began relying more on thermal power without fully realising it. Humne zyada rely thermal pe karna shuru kiya without really realizing
  51. He said thermal power is very expensive because it runs on imported gas and coal. jab aap thermal pe aate hain toh woh bahut mehngi hai. Imported fuel pe hain. Imported gas hai, imported coal hai
  52. He said IPPs were paid for capacity and energy, a standard model that is not unusual. IPPs ko aap capacity payment bhi dete hain energy payment bhi dete hain yeh bhi ek standard tareeka hai koi unusual nahi hai
  53. He said without IPPs Pakistan might not have the generation it has today. agar IPP na hote toh probably hum yeh jo generation aaj hai hamare paas shayad na hoti
  54. He said consumers pay in rupees while the power is bought in dollars. aap bijli consumer ko rupay mein dete hain lekin aap us bijli ko dollar mein khareedte hain
  55. He said the rupee-dollar gap adds to what is known as circular debt. aapke paas ek yeh gap aa jata hai so that adds to yours woh jo famous circular debt jise hum kehte hain
  56. He said summer demand reaches 26 to 28 thousand MW while winter demand is 10 to 12 thousand MW. Summer hum 26, 27, 28,000 megawatt bhi humne attach kiya. Winter mein hum 10, 12,000 megawatt use karte hain
  57. He said 15,000 to 16,000 MW of idle capacity still has to be maintained. aapke paas jo 15, 16,000 megawatt padi hai woh aapne maintain toh karni hai
  58. He said captive power is about 6,000 to 6,500 MW. Captive power takreeban 6, 6,500 megawatt hai is waqt
  59. He said industry was asked in the 1990s to build its own power plants during the energy crisis. Captive power humne jab Pakistan mein energy crisis tha 90s mein toh industry ko kaha ke ji aap apne power plant khud laga lein
  60. He said about 37,000 MW is available at any time from an installed base of about 47,000 MW. Theoretically 47,000 provide ho sakte hain but any given time aapko 37,000 hi milenge
  61. He said Pakistan built large plants but cannot deliver the power to consumers. humne plants to bahut bade bade laga liye hum unko distribute consumer tak pahuncha nahi sak rahe
  62. He said the transmission and distribution system is the main bottleneck and should be improved. jo hamara sabse badi jo uh bottleneck jo hamara action hona chahiye that should be improvement in the transmission and distribution system
  63. He said there is no need for public-sector generation, which should be private. there is no need for generation in the public sector it has to be in the private sector
  64. Naeem Shafique has said all DISCOs should be privatised as soon as possible. discos should all be must be privatized ASAP
  65. He said transmission may not need privatisation, but distribution, the last mile, should have been privatised. transmission jo hoti hai woh may not be privatized theek hai but then trans distribution system should have been privatized
  66. He said transmission and distribution losses are high on technical grounds. from uh technical perspective hamare transmission losses bhi zyada hain aur distribution losses to bahut zyada hain
  67. He said Pakistan has only five or six large solar plants. Hardly paanch che hain jo large solar plant hain
  68. He said solar and wind output depends on the weather and follows a different cycle. solar ya wind jo hain, jo renewable jise hum kehte hain woh unki production cycle different hota hai depending on weather
  69. He said variable solar and wind output affects grid stability, so the system must adapt. Aapke jo variable generation hai jis tarah solar aur wind hai woh kaafi disturb karti hai isliye aapko adapt karna padta hai apne system ko
  70. He said Pakistan often curtails renewable load because its system cannot manage variable supply. hum renewable ka load curtail kar rahe hote hain kyunke aapka system jo hai woh variable load ko manage nahi kar pa raha hota
  71. He said renewable capacity should be added while the transmission system is upgraded. Jab aap use improve karenge toh aap saath saath apna renewable generation add karte jayein
  72. He said a standalone dam like Tarbela would never deliver 100 percent output. technically a dam of the size of Tarbela woh agar stand alone hoga to aapko 100 percent kabhi bhi nahi dega
  73. He said Pakistan missed the hydro opportunity first and then the Thar coal opportunity. we missed the hydro first and then we missed the Thar coal
  74. He said Thar coal currently generates about 2,600 to 3,000 MW. abhi takreeban 2600 3000 megawatt wahan se generate ho raha hai
  75. He said Pakistan is one of the lowest carbon-producing countries. Pakistan is one of the lowest carbon producing carbon producing countries
  76. He said there should be a policy to promote electric vehicles, which the government is working on. I mean there must should be policy jo ke kar rahi hai government EV ko promote karne ke liye
  77. He said EVs and electric heaters could fill the roughly 9,000 MW buffer. 9,000 ka buffer pura karna hai usko main using EVs, using like heaters, in cheezon mein potentially pura kar sakta hoon
  78. He said Pakistan has a young population, talent and natural resources. Aapki youth hai, aapke paas talent hai, aapke paas har qisam ki uh aap keh lein natural aapke paas uh reserves hain
  79. He said he expects Pakistan to be a significant player in the global market by 2050. by 2050 it should be one of the keh lein significant player in the in the global market
  80. He said Pakistan's youth growth is on a positive track. aapki jo youth ki growth hai woh alhamdulillah it's it's it's on the positive track