Daily Times

KARACHI: The Port Qasim Coal Power Project (PQCPP) poses serious risks to Pakistan’s automobile industry as automotive painting, engine, and transmission assembly processes are highly sensitive to coal dust particles while constant exposure to pollutants will severely affect product quality and vehicle performance, said industry experts.

Encompassing an area of some 12,000 acres, Port Qasim in Karachi is a deep-water port which abounds with various industrial zones and the K-Electric Bin Qasim Power Plant, as well as the Pakistan Steel Mills. The $2.09 billion Port Qasim Coal Power Project (PQCPP) comprises two 660MW power plants, a steam turbine, a boiler, a generator, and an exclusive jetty for receiving and handling coal supplies from other countries. The PQCPP is a part of 14 fast-track energy projects which fall under the ‘Early Harvest Programme’ of CPEC (China Pakistan Economic Corridor).

However, owing to its location in one of the most significant industrial zones in the country, PQCPP tends to be the most controversial energy initiative taken by the Pakistan government. Aimed at transporting a large amount of imported coal from Port Qasim to the Sahiwal Coal Power Plant, the coal conveyor belt along with a jetty is surrounded by a number of pharmaceutical, automobile, edible oil, gasoline and food manufacturing industries operating in the Port Qasim Industrial Zone (PQIZ) but experts have raised concerns over unsafe projects.

“The combustion of coal used to produce 1,000MW electricity will emit carbon dioxide equivalent to CO2 emissions produced by some 1.2 million cars on the road. Considering the poor fire-fighting capacity of the city, the continued emissions of the highly-combustible coal dust will increase the frequency of fire incidents”, added experts.

The project particularly threatens the existence of the automobile industry, which is referred to as the backbone of the economic and industrial development of the country. Currently, some 80 percent of Pakistan’s automotive industry is located in the Port Qasim Industrial Zone.

“Coal dust emissions will damage the press and dies, given the fact that the leading local automobile producers use the finest stamping dies, while the accuracy of vehicle stamping parts is measured in microns. At Port Qasim, many industries have sheet-metal stamping press shops that work at a very high speed, which is high precision, state-of-the-art technology that requires huge investment”, added the experts.

The route for the proposed conveyor belt is currently in use by automotive Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEMs) around the clock. Coal dust along the route will make conditions unbearable for people working in adjacent industries. Similarly, parts and accessories that are stored in a warehouse located in the area will be damaged too.

The situation needs a re-evaluation as it is obvious that two separate coal berths at the same site is a wrong move. Pakistan’s over-reliance on using coal for electricity generation is a matter of deep concern, considering the serious impact it will have on its environment and on public health, they concluded.