Four Pakistani coal mining and power generation companies are planning toconvert massive deposits of Thar coal into gas and liquid. The companiesinclude HUBCO, Engro, Fauji Fertilizer, and Fatima Group.
According to Khalid Mansoor, CEO of HUBCO, the four companies have decidedto start a surface coal gasification and liquefaction program to reducePakistan’s dependence on imported fuel.——————————
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The development follows the announcement of Prime Minister Imran Khan fromlast month when he pledged to produce 60% of Pakistan’s total energy fromgreen sources by 2030.
Similarly, Nadeem Babar, PM’s adviser on Petroleum, said that the federalgovernment is exploring coal to liquids and coal to gas technologies. Thecurrent coal projects would continue but the government will not allow theconstruction of coal power plants in the future.
Chinese companies are funding and developing most of Pakistan’s coal plantsthrough the $60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project.
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Stretching over 9,000 sq. km, the Thar coalfield has an estimated 175billion tons of coal reserves which makes it the 7th biggest coalfield inthe world.——————————
Currently, there are four coal-fired power plants in Pakistan. The combinedworth of these plants is $6.7 billion and the collective capacity is 4,620MW.
According to NEPRA, since 2015, the share of coal power in Pakistan’senergy mix has increased to 20%. This share will rise further as five morecoal power plants worth $3.3 billion are set to become operational by 2026.
*Via: Arab News link*
