KARACHI – With one of the largest indigenous coal reserves in Thar and significant renewable energy potential, Sindh is the energy basket of Pakistan and can lead national progress through its diverse energy sources.
Speaking at the Sindh Energy Diversity Conference organised by Energy Update in collaboration with the government, Syed Murad Ali Shah, Chief Minister of Sindh, highlighted that Thar’s coal deposits are equivalent to the energy reserves of Saudi Arabia, Iran and Kuwait.
He shared that the Thar coal project was initially conceived in the 1990s under the leadership of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto and was eventually realised through one of the most successful public-private partnerships of Sindh Engro Coal Mining Company (SECMC) in Thar Block II. This pioneering initiative disproved the myth that Thar coal, being lower-grade lignite, cannot be used to produce electricity.
CM Murad said that Thar coal is now generating 1320 MW of low-cost electricity in Block II, powering households and industries across Pakistan. Moreover, an inclusive development approach has been followed, where almost every household in Thar Block II is now solarised in line with PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s vision that the people of Thar must benefit first from this progress.
Nasir Hussain Shah, Sindh Minister for Energy and Planning & Development, pointed out that coal gasification plans are underway to expand Thar coal utilisation to other key sectors, such as fertiliser and cement, which will reduce pressure on foreign exchange reserves.
Amir Iqbal, CEO of SECMC, said that the Thar Block II development served as a proof of concept and successfully marked six years of commercial operations on July 10 this year. He noted that “SECMC supplies coal to three Independent Power Producers (IPPs), energising over 3 million households and contributing to foreign exchange savings of around USD 1.6 billion since inception. These plants consistently rank among the highest on the merit order, reaffirming Thar coal as the most cost-effective baseload fuel.”
