Financial close of project achieved: Sindh setting up coal mining project, power plants in Thar

The Sindh government, in partnership with the private sector, is establishing a 3.8MTPA coal mining project and 660MW of coal-fired power plants at Thar coal field by the end of this month. The private partners in the project are: Engro Corporation, House of Habib, Habib Bank Limited, Hubco, and China Machinery Engineering Corporation (CMEC). Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah on Friday held a meeting with the sponsors of the project at the Chief Minister''s house.
Speaking during the meeting, Senior Minister for Finance & Energy Syed Murad Ali Shah said that financial close of the project had been completed and only few formalities were to be met to launch the project. Others who attended the meeting included: Engro Corp Chairman Hussain Dawood, Habib Bank President Nauman Dar, former ambassador Shahid Malik, SECMC chairman Khursheed Jamali, Hubco CEO Khalid Mansoor, Engro CEO Khalid Subhani, HoH Director Firdous Shamim Naqvi.
The chief minister directed Murad Ali Shah to organise a formal ceremony to celebrate the financial close of the project. "I will invite Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, all the chief ministers, federal ministers and diplomats to attend the ceremony," Qaim said and added that it was a big achievement, which needed to be celebrated in a befitting manner. Secretary Energy, Agha Wasif, and Shams Shaikh, while briefing the meeting said that all agreements related to the project had been executed.
For an infrastructure development, the meeting was told that $67 million Effluent Disposal Scheme (EDS) for Mine had been launched. For that purpose, work on a 37km-long pipeline and disposal pond was in progress, on which $25 million had been spent so far. The project would be completed by June 2016. About $350 million LBOD Fresh Water Supply Scheme for the power plant, the meeting was told that the work on treatment and supply of 37 cusecs of fresh water from LBOD canal to Thar-based power plants was in progress, on which $180 million had been utilised so far. It would be completed by October 2017.
Engro Chairman Hussain Dawood appreciated the Chief Minister and Senior Minister Murad Ali Shah for turning the barren Thar coal field into a reality by achieving the financial close of the project. "This is a unique partnership of the Sindh government and the private sector, which will also contribute to other development initiatives," he said. The Chief Minister said that it would be a true realisation of the dream of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto. It was her who recognised Thar coal and invited foreign firms and investors to launch mega projects in the area, he added.