*KARACHI: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari willinaugurate first ever Thar coal power plant in Islamkot on Wednesdaytomorrow.*
The PPP Chairman will be accompanied on the occasion by Sindh ChiefMinister Syed Murad Ali Shah, his cabinet colleagues, senior governmentofficials and diplomats of various countries including that of China. Theinauguration ceremony will be performed in Islamkot area where both thecoal mine of Thar block-II and related first ever power plant is situated.
The federal government is likely to be represented on the occasion byFederal Power Minister Umer Ayub Khan.
The power plant to be inaugurated by the PPP Chairman is of 660 Megawattspower generation capacity consisting of two power generation units of 330MWs capacity each.
The power plant is part of China Pakistan Economic Corridor project asChina actively extended financial, technical, and manpower support tocomplete the project.
Briefing newsmen on Tuesday as newsmen visited sites of both the coal mineand power plant in Islamkot, Project Manager of Power Plant Faisal Shafiqsaid that one of the power generation units had already been synchronisedwith the national grid while the synchronisation of the second unit wouldcommence from Wednesday.
The Project Director told newsmen that formal commercial operation of thepower plant would commence by June this year as afterwards full capacity ofthe power plant would be supplied to the national grid.
He said that it took around 10 years since the time the project of Tharcoal energy had been conceived when Sindh government had entered intopartnership with Engro under the Public Private Partnership regime.
The director said that it was an arduous and nerve-testing job for all thestakeholders of the project, which put best of their efforts, finances, andresources during last one decade to materialize the first ever major powerproject of the country, which would consume indigenously available coalreserves.
He said that all the environmental concerns regarding the first majorcoal-based power project of the country had been well allayed as the energyproject had been built well in accordance with the standards set by theWorld Bank and International Finance Corporation.
The project director said that power project would consume 12,000 tonnesper day coal extracted from the coal mine of Thar block-II once the projectwould achieve its full capacity.
Around 4,000-strong labour force had been used for construction of powerplant as around 2,500 labourers were indigenous as they all belonged tonearby Thar area, said the director of the project.
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He said that up to 70 engineers working for Thar coal power projectbelonged to Thar. Construction of the power plant had been completed inalmost 36 months’ time.
He said that connectivity of the power plant with the transmission line toconnect it with the national grid had been completed as tests and trials tocheck evacuation of electricity had been done.
He said that Sindh government, Engro, and other partners of the Thar coalpower project had been working on an extensive plan to properly train localyouth to impart them requisite technical expertise so that they could workfor the project with proper qualification.
He said that no major untoward incident or eventuality occurred duringconstruction of the first ever major coal-based power project of thecountry.
Earlier Project Manager of Thar Block-II coal mine Naeem Pasha told newsmenthat the mining operation in Thar block-II had formally commenced in 2016as the open-pit mining operation had gone up to 160 metres deep beneath theground.
He said that coal extraction from the mine of block-II had achieved thelevel that it could meet the fuel needs of 660 MWs power plant built on themine mouth.
He said that coal extracted from block-II would be consumed in the lateryears would be used to generate to 5,000 MWs by the year 2024.
He said that Thar coal mine in block-II had achieved the capacity of 3.8tonnes per annum as it would be increased to 27 tonnes per annum in nextfive years.
He said that coal mine of Thar block-II was just one per cent of themassive Thar coal reserves of 175 billion tonnes as it was enough togenerate electricity for next 50 years.
Naseer Memon, General Manager CSR of Sindh Engro Coal Mining Company, toldnewsmen on the occasion that Thar coal power project had given direct andindirect employment to up to 6,000 Thari people after imparting themtraining.
