KARACHI: Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif inaugurated the 330 MW power plant completed by HUBCO under China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) in Tharparkar on Monday.
Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Chief Minister Sindh Murad Ali Shah, provincial minister for energy Imtiaz Sheikh and other high-ranking officials including Engro and Hubco chairmen were also present on this occasion.
وزیر اعظم محمد شہباز شریف کی تھر کول پراجیکٹ میں کام کرنے والی خواتین ڈمپر ڈرائیورز سے ملاقات۔ pic.twitter.com/gfFJQCB3Wu
— PMLN (@pmln_org) October 10, 2022
On this occasion, the Prime Minister also had a brief chat with the female dumper drivers working on the Thar Coal project.
Briefing the Prime Minister, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah said that Thar Coal is a game changer for Pakistan’s economy. He recalled that Benazir Bhutto had envisioned the opening of the way for electricity production through Thar coal, and that former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and former president Asif Ali Zardari had also remained engaged in the project later.
He said that Thar coal has 14 blocks and work is being focused on Blocks I and II at the moment, adding that the provincial government was spending $750 million to build infrastructure in Thar.
The Sindh Chief Minister disclosed that until now, around 12,500-gigawatt electricity from Thar coal had already been added to the national grid and that by 2022, the current production capacity of the power plant would increase up to 2,640 megawatts.
The Prime Minister laid the foundation stone of the railway line project to connect the Thar Coal Power projects and was briefed about Thar Coal power projects.
Experts believe that Pakistan has 175 billion tonnes of coal reserves in Tharparkar alone, equivalent to 50 billion tonnes of oil equivalent (TOE) which is more than Saudi Arabian and Iranian oil reserves. The reserves equal 2,000 trillion cubic feet (TCF) of gas which is 68 times higher than Pakistan’s total gas reserves.
APP adds: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday said amid the skyrocketing fuel prices, the cheaper energy production from the Thar Coal Mines project would prove as a game-changer of development for the entire country.
The Thar Coal Project, he said, could help the government save up to $6 billion as the expenditure on the import of energy including petrol and liquid petroleum touched $24 billion.
Addressing the inauguration of the commercial operations of Phase-II of Sindh Engro Coal Mining Company (SECMC) during his visit to Thar Coal Mines Block-II, the prime minister said the Thar Coal project was high on the agenda for the government in view of the reduced cost of power generation.
The prime minister on the occasion inaugurated a 330 MW Power Plant of Thar Energy Limited (TEL) and also inspected the construction site of SECMC Mine Phase-II at Islamkot.
PM Sharif said not benefitting from the country’s indigenous coal reserves was a huge mistake and announced to convene a meeting of stakeholders on Thar Coal mines next week to discuss formalities.
He said the federal government in collaboration with the Sindh government would chalk out a policy framework on the Thar Coal mines project, with an objective to connect it with other rest of coal-powered power plants in the country producing 4,000 megawatts.
He mentioned the international cost of coal had come down from $67 to $44 and had prospects of further reduction up to $ 30.
The coal-powered plants, he said, would prove a feasible operation for electricity production at the rate of Rs 10 per unit.
The prime minister said Thar Coal project would save the country’s foreign exchange and help thrive the national economy.
On March 2023, he said, the Thar Coal Mines project would be connected through a freight rail track for the transportation of coal to other parts of the country.
He lauded the Sindh government, Hubco, the government of China, and the Chinese companies for training the local professionals and workers, and also appreciated the women working in the field including at water plants and dumping trucks.
He expressed satisfaction that Thar was undergoing fast development after former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto first visited the area in 1996 and envisioned a prosperity plan for the locals
