Another 400 megawatts coal-based power plant to be set up at Thar

A 400-Megawatt coal-based power plant will be set up at Thar coal field by an Australian company at an estimated cost of $400 to 500 million, Business Recorder learnt on Thursday. This will be the first power plant of its kind in which Australian company would generate the power through gasification of coal deposits of Thar field.
Sources in Sindh Mines & Mineral Development department said. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) is likely to be signed in this respect within couple of days between the Sindh Mines & Mineral Development Department and the Australian firm, they said and added the volume of investment could vary in case of any change in capacity of the power plant.
The sources said that Australian firm has vast experience of establishing power plants through the gasification of coal deposits allover the world including US, European Union members and other countries. The power plant would be set up on the Block-III of Thar coal field and raw coal deposits would be converted into gas to generate the electricity.
According to sources, the work on the proposed power plant is likely to commence soon after the signing of MoU and completion of plant is expected between one to two years period. Mines and Mineral Development Department is focussing on establishing more electricity generation plant and to complete the projects that are being undertaken at present on immediate basis, they said.
Sindh Minister for Mines & Mineral Development Irfanullah Khan Marwat will hopefully sign the MoU on behalf of the department while head of Australian firm will sign on behalf of the company.
The power project has been initiated on directive of higher provincial authorities to accelerate the work on coal-based power projects to meet the growing demand of electricity in Sindh and in Karachi in particular, the sources said. It was a part of vision of department to utilise the coal resources for sustainable energy supply at lower price to all sectors of economy. Sindh Coal Authority is also undertaking a project to construct three 375MW power plant based on feasibility study of Thar Coal Mining on selected part of Block-I.