Thar power

This refers to the article, ‘Power from Thar coal’ (June 1) Zeeshan Haider. Dr Samar Mubarakmand has claimed that the underground coal-gasification power project using Thar coal has generated up to 4MW. He also said that it would cost Rs6 per unit as compared to Rs24 per unit of power generated through thermal means. However, he is short of funds (Rs30 billion) to complete this project. One wonders why this amount has not been released to him till now. Once completed, this project will prove to be a game-changer for us. The best thing about this project is that it is being undertaken solely by Pakistani engineers and technicians, which is a matter of great pride for the country.
Critics say that this technology was not in vogue except for one or two countries. On the other hand, coal-fired power plants being set up in the country would be run on imported coal despite the availability of coal reserves to the tune of 175 billion tonnes locally. It is interesting to learn that the Thar coal that was discarded for these coal-fired plants due to being ‘substandard’ has been declared fit by experts for use in a coal-fired power plant being set up in Sindh.
Air-Cdre (r) Azfar A Khan
Rawalpindi