TCB-1, SSRL support villagers

KARACHI: Thar Coal Block-1 Power Generation Private Co., Ltd. (TCB-1) and Sino Sindh Resources Private Limited (SSRL), subsidiaries of Shanghai Electric, have been actively helping local villagers in Thar during the holy month of Ramzan and Eid, a statement said on Tuesday.

According to a top official of the two companies, which are working on Shanghai Electric’s Thar Block-1 Integrated Energy Project -- a priority project of China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) -- a total of one thousand families of villages in the area were provided with food supplies during Ramadan and Eid.

Like in the past, the Shanghai Electric Group, the world’s leading manufacturer and supplier of power generation and industrial equipment, provided regular food supplies to households living in villages located around its coal mining plant and power plant in Thar Block-1.

The food packages provided to the villagers comprised all basic necessities including rice, flour, cooking oil, sugar, tea, etc. and were handed over to the villagers by senior company officials.

The supplies were distributed among the local population belonging to the following villages: Wervai, Tilwayo, Kharyo Ghulam Shah, Shahmir Vikyo, Jam Ki Wandh and Bhave Jo Thar.

"TCB-1 and SSRL have always made the welfare and wellbeing of local villagers a priority," commented Mr Meng Donghai, Chairman of TCB-1 and SSRL. “Our company will continue supporting them in any way we can,” he added.

The Thar Block-1 Integrated Energy Project has provided more than 18,400 direct employment opportunities for the locals, with a cumulative tax payment of $204 million and CSR expenditure of over $1.6 million.

Together, TCB-1 and SSRL are working on a coal-electricity integration project in Block-1 of Thar Coalfield, which is a CPEC priority implementation project. It includes construction and operation of an open-pit coal mine with an annual output of 7.8 million tons and 2X660MW advanced-supercritical lignite power station. SSRL is the sole operator of the 7.8 Mtpa Open-pit Coal Mine project.