Planning Commission says Thar Coal project unfeasible

As the government is finding ways to cope with prevailing energy crisis in the country, the Planning Commission has termed the Thar Coal project unfeasible.
It was claimed by Shahid Sattar, Planning Commission (PC) member energy, while speaking to a private TV channel on Saturday.
“The commission has concluded audit of the project and stopped release of funds for it on the grounds that we think it unfeasible. It’s not possible to produce electricity from Thar Coal,” Sattar said.
He said the release of more funds of the pilot project would be ‘risky’.
He said leading national nuclear scientist Dr Samar Mubarakmand had failed to produce gas through Thar coal reserves. “The gas flamed for four hours only and then dropped off,” Sattar said at an international energy summit at Islamabad.
Dr Samar Mubarakmand, who served as the founding chairman of National Engineering and Scientific Commission (NESCOM) from 2001 until 2007, ruled out Sattar’s notion, saying “not even a single penny was released for the project in 11 years”.
“Oil and commission mafia is the major hurdle in this project,” he said.
He has claimed that three times cheaper gas could be acquired through the project in comparison with Iran and Turkmenistan gas pipeline pacts.
“Iran-Pakistan and TAPI projects would cost $13 billion while 2250 MMCF gas could be obtained from Thar Coal at the cost of only $1.2 billion,” he said.
He further said that the Thar coal project would change the country’s economy and people’s lives.
Dr Samar said he never went to Thar.
“Coal Gas remained flaming for almost four months and if still someone couldn’t see it, then it’s his fault,” he said. Later at night, the Planning Commission member, Shahid Sattar, clarified media reports attributed to him regarding the Thar Coal Underground Gasification Project.
In a statement issued from the CM House on Saturday, he denied saying that the project was not feasible.
Sattar rejected reports attributed to him regarding the project, saying he had only said that the tests regarding the Thar Coal Underground Gasification Project were being carried out and that its efficacy was yet to be determined.
He said the statement attributed to him was wrong and baseless.
Meanwhile, a statement issued by the Sindh Chief Minister’s House said Thar coal was the most viable option for providing security to the country.
It said Pakistan had huge lignite coal reserves in Thar estimated to be 175 billion tons. The quality of Thar Lignite Coal was at par or even better than the lignite mined in other parts of the world.
The statement pointed out that renowned international companies like RWE Germany, SRK United Kingdom, Sino Coal China, North East Coal Bureau China and China Coal Technology and Engineering Group had undertaken detailed feasibilities in Thar and all of them concluded that Thar Coal Mining was a technically, economically and environmentally viable project and that the coal could be used for power generation and other petro-chemical uses.
Presently three companies, Sindh Engro Coal Mining Company, Oracle Coalfields UK and Sino-Sindh Resources China have completed their detailed feasibility studies and their projects of open cast mining were expected to start within the year.