The Engro Corporation is planning to conduct a study on the current energy crisis with a view to find ways and means to overcome it by judiciously utilizing the rich energy resources, including hydel and coal assets.
This was stated by ENGRO Corporation Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and President Aliuddin Ansari, while talking to media persons at an Iftar here at a local hotel. Engro Fertilizer , CEO, Ruhail Mohammad Engro corporation Senior Vice President Human Resources and Public Affairs, senior management Tahir Jawaid of the and journalists attended the Iftar.
Ansari highlighting the importance of rich energy resources in the country said that besides potentials of hydel power generation, he said that to overcome the current energy crisis, Pakistan has no other alternative except development of indigenous energy resources.
He said that Thar coal fields have estimated lignite reserves of about 200 billion tons which is equivalent to total oil reserves of Iran and Saudi Arabia.
“These can be utilized to produce 100,000 MW electricity, power for 200 years”, he remarked.
He claimed that for one block of Thar coal 1200 MW electricity can be generated and there can also be produced 100 blocks to generate sufficient number of electricity in the country. “Primary objective of the Thar coal development was to provide affordable, reliable and sustainable electricity to consumers using indigenous resources”, he remarked.
Ansari further said that reliance on indigenous fuel would help save billions of dollars in foreign exchange which were currently being spent on import of expensive RFO (Refined Furnace oil).
He added that Thar coal based power tariff would be much lower than RFO based power tariff which means general consumers can get electricity at much cheaper rate than what they are paying right now. “That coal is also competitive verses imported coal and LNG”, he remarked. He said that to expedite development of this valuable energy resource through public private partnership, in 2008, government of Sindh initiated the international competitive bidding (ICB) process to select a preferred private sector.
