Thar Coal can provide energy security, says Dr Samar

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Scientist Dr. Samar Mubarakmand said on Friday that only Thar Coal could provide guaranteed long-term energy security to Pakistan’s industrial competitiveness, due to its cost effectiveness. He was briefing the National Assembly Standing Committee on Inter Provincial Coordination, which was held under the chairmanship of Mir Ahmed Khan Bugti. Samar informed the Committee that the current energy crisis was causing Rs 230 billion losses to the economy and made 400,000 people jobless. According to Pakistan Electric Power Company (PEPCO), “our energy demand by the year 2030 will be more than 100,000 MW “. Samar said that the total power generation capacity of the country based on coal reserves was 2.27 percent while India had 64.6 percent capacity. In this situation, Thar Coal would play a pivotal role in meeting this energy crisis both in the long and short term. He said that Thar lignite coal reserves were 175 billion tons spread over 9600 Sq.Km, having generation potential of 100,000 MW consuming 536 million tones / year. These reserves were equivalent to 50 billion tonnes of oil, which are more than the oil reserves in Iran and Saudi Arabia combined or over 2000 TCF of gas (42 times greater than the total gas reserves discovered in Pakistan so far). He said that four blocks were available for investment in Thar. The Thar project for 100 MW was planned for mid 2012. Hence Gasifier has been designed, major equipment ordered and technical team has been mobilized while drilling is in full swing, he added.

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  1. Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock normally occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure. Coal is composed primarily of carbon along with variable quantities of other elements, chiefly hydrogen, with smaller quantities of sulfur, oxygen and nitrogen

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