PCJCCI For Using Coal To Cope With Electricity Shortage

Pak-China Joint Chambers of Commerce and Industry (PCJCCI) Thursday recommended to utilise coal reserves to produce low-cost electricity in Pakistan on the pattern of China

LAHORE, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 4th Nov, 2021 ) :Pak-China Joint Chambers of Commerce and Industry (PCJCCI) Thursday recommended to utilise coal reserves to produce low-cost electricity in Pakistan on the pattern of China.

PCJCCCI President Wang Zihai, Senior Vice President (SVP) Ehsan Choudhry, Vice President (VP) Safraz Butt, Secretary General Salahuddin Hanif and the executive committee members in its monthly meeting here unanimously approved the recommendation for promoting coal-based power generation plants in Pakistan.

Zihai said that generally, coal has four major categories; lignite, sub-bituminous, bituminous and anthracite but most of its heating value is present in carbon content which is valuable in all aspects.

Anthracite is top ranked coal, with highest carbon content that ranges between 86-98 per cent and has a heat value of nearly 15,000 BTUs (British thermal units) per pound.

In the last five years Pakistan has aggressively pursued coal power under the multi-billion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) initiative as well as outside it, increasing coal-based capacity from negligible to 4,620 megawatts. With seven other coal-based projects under construction, the country expects to add 4,590 megawatts by the end of 2026, Mr. Zihai added.

SVP Ehsan Choudhry shared his views by saying that at present, our total coal reserves are estimated around 184.5 billion tonnes which include the lately discovered deposits of low sulphur coal at Thar. Well-developed coal-fields are located in Punjab, Balochistan and Sindh, he said. "We should explore coal and develop coal-fired power plants to not only lessen dependence on imported fuel but also to cut the cost of power generation for the benefit of the industries, trade and individual consumers, he asserted.