Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Local Thar-coal-based electricity generation to jump to 1,320 MW in December,Minister for Energy Khurram Dastgir Khan on Tuesday said that total electricity generation from local Thar coal would jump to 1,320 MW with addition of 330 MW .

Addressing a press conference here, the minister said that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the other day, formally inaugurated 330 MW HUBCO Thar Coal Power Plant which increased the electricity generation to 990 MW from local Thar coal. He said the people had started getting dividends of projects launched by Muhammad Nawaz Sharif in 2014.

As many as 660 MW electricity had already been supplied to the National grid since 2019 through local Thar coal, he added.

The minister said that another 1,320 MW Shanghi Electric Thar Coal Power Project under China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) would start generation before the next summer which would help double electricity generation to 2640 MW.

He said Thar coal reserves were a blessing for the entire country, adding that as per initial estimate, the reserves stood 175 billion metric tons. The Thar coal reserves spread an area of over 100 square kilometers and had been divided into 13 blocks, he said. The minister said currently out of total 13 blocks, only two blocks were opened. Presently, three power plants with an accumulative capacity of 990 MW had been operationalized on local Thar coal, he added.

He said the coal price at the international market had surged to $ 400 per ton, while Thar coal would be available at only $ 40 per ton. Thar coal-based power plants would also help reduce the cost of electricity, he added.

He said Thar coal power plants projects were the best example of public-private partnership in the country. Special attention was also being paid that the coal-based power projects have not any effects on the environment, he added.

He said as per the technical study, 20 percent of Thar Coal could also be used in already set-up coal power plants including Sahiwal and Port Qasim. The coal could also be used for getting diesel besides in cement and fertilizers industries, he added.

He said Thar Coal would fulfill the energy requirements of the country. Khurram said the PM had already approved a project to link IslamKot (Tehsil in Thar district) to Hyderabad through the railway track in the next 6 months. It would play a key role in the effective transportation of coal in the country through railways, he added.

Replying to a question, he said a transmission line had already been laid to evacuate 2,640 MW electricity from Thar coal-based power projects. However, work was being carried out to lay new transmission lines for evacuation of power from future projects, he added.

To another question, the minister said that cost of electricity had decreased after shutting down of all expensive power plants with the decline of electricity demand and change in weather. Relief was being passed on the consumers and only 22 paisa per unit fuel cost adjustment was charged in the current month’s billing as compared to Rs 9.89 per unit in June.

He said the average cost of electricity would also decrease with the increase of share of electricity from Thar coal blocks.