‘First Thar coal power house to begin generation in January’

SUKKUR: The Provincial Minister for Energy, Imtiaz Shaikh, has said Sindh has the potential of addressing the country’s energy crisis with the Thar coal reserves, which can produce 50,000 MW of electricity.

He said the Sindh government has completed work on the first coal powerhouse in Thar, with the collaboration of Engro which would add 300MW of electricity. Talking to the media at Hyderabad Chamber of Commerce and Industries on Thursday, Imtiaz Shaikh said Chairman PPP Bilawal Bhutto Zardari will inaugurate the powerhouse in Thar in January.

The provincial government is also working on five new powerhouses with private partnership, he said. He said Sindh is also developing alternate energy projects and referred to 35 wind, 25 solar and one hydro energy projects, saying the federal government is not supporting any of these projects.

To a question, he said Sindh is producing 70 per cent gas being consumed in the country but the federal government is denying the province its due share. The chief minister would raise the issue in the meeting of the Council of Common Interests, he said. Replying to another question, he criticized the federal government and said during and before the elections, Imran Khan had pledged to defend the rights of the smaller provinces. He said now it remains to be seen how he does justice with Sindh province. Imtiaz Shaikh said OGRA is a national institution and the federal government must ensure the representation of Sindh by appointing a member from the province. The minister said the government is committed to facilitating the business community, he added.

He further said the federal government is carrying out political victimization in the name of accountability. He said the reports about the arrest of Asif Ali Zardari are mere rumours as they do not have any concrete evidence against him. He said the PPP is not against accountability but the process must be across the board.

Earlier, the Sindh Minister for Energy, Imtiaz Sheikh, met a Chinese delegation at the Gymkhana. He said Pakistan-China friendship and the CPEC has unleashed a new era of development in the region. He said the Chinese government is working with the Sindh government on several energy projects.