The pre-development ground work for a coal mine in Thar will start from May this year, CEO of UK-based Oracle Coalfields Shahrukh Khan said on Thursday. He was briefing a meeting presided over by Sindh's Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah at the Chief Minister House.
He said that during this phase, the company would construct a four-kilometre-long access road in its block from the existing road. It would, he said, also establish a site office complex, comprising prefabricated concrete housing and ancillary buildings for initial management team, community liaison officers and a healthcare facility for the local people.
According to him, the company would also install a reverse osmosis plant for providing water and complete earthworks to level the open pit area, besides constructing early drainage facilities.
Chairman of the Sindh Board of Investment Muhammad Zubair Motiwala, Secretary for Coal and Energy Development Department Sohail Rajput and Secretary of the provincial Investment Department Naheed S Durrani also attended the meeting.
Khan said that the mining lease for the development and exploitation of the 66-square-kilometre Block VI of the Thar Coalfield has been awarded while his company planned to invest up to $610 million for the development of open-cast coal mine.
His company, he said, had signed an MOU with KESC to develop initially a 300-megawatt mine -mouth power plant by 2015 to be scaled up to 1,100MW.
Shahrukh Khan further informed that the open-pit coal mine development is expected to start in early 2013 with an initial production of coal in 2014 with a full-scale annual production of five million tons of coal in 2015.
Work on Community and Social Responsibility (CSR) was also planned to commence from May this year, he said, adding that it would become part of long-term sustainable development for local communities.
In the discussion with the chief minister, the CEO outlined the company's strategic plans and timeline for the early development and operation of the Block VI coal mine. He thanked the Sindh government, government, especially the Thar Coal and Energy Board, for extending assistance and co-operation.
Syed Qaim Ali Shah said that the government was fully committed for the development of Thar coal. According to him, the coalfield had the potential of turning the country's economy around.
Stressing the need for accelerating the pace of work, he said that it would yield better results. The meeting was also attended by Special Secretary to CM Hafeezullah Abbasi, Director Oracle Coalfield Shafiq R. Khan, Director-General, Coal, Abdul Majeed Pathan and Irfan Ahmed Memon of the TCEB.
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