Country produces 3.5mt coal to meet energy needs

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is producing 3.5 million tonnes coal and importing four to five million tonnes coal every year to meet needs of different sectors, like steel, cement and power generation, sources said.

“The coal is imported mainly from Afghanistan, Australia, Canada, Indonesia, South Africa and USA and consumed in steel and cement manufacturing and power generation units,” the sources in the ministry of petroleum told APP.

On domestic production, they said 19 coalfields have so far been discovered in the country. The recent geological investigations have shown that around 186 billion tonnes of coal reserves existed in different parts of the country, which could be used as a primary and inexpensive source for power generation, they added.

The sources said provincial governments have granted more than 1,100 coal mining concessions to public and private sector companies to carry out exploration and mining operations in the licenced and leased areas.

“More than 185 billion tons of deposits are located in Sindh with Thar coal field being the largest followed by Thatta-Sonda, Lakhra and Jhimpir,” a source said. “The coal is lignite to lignite-A to sub bituminous B&C in character with an average heating value of 6,000 British thermal unit/pound.” 

Coal is primarily classified into four major categories: lignite, sub-bituminous, bituminous and anthracite. One of the most valuable content of coal is its carbon content, which supplies most of its heating value.