KARACHI: The Hubco’s 330 MW ThalNova Power Thar has been successfully synchronized with the National Grid lifting the total production of power from Thar Coal to around 3,000 MW.

Minister for State, Dr Mahesh Malani, on behalf of Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah whose private flight was canceled due to bad weather in Thar, inaugurated the synchronization of 330 MW ThalNova project with the National Grid by switching the button in the control room of the project on Friday.

The CEO of Hubco Group, Kamran Kamal and ThalNova CEO Saleemullah Memon gave a detailed briefing to State Minister Dr Mahesh Malani about the project and lauded the efforts of Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah for his support and encouragement to the investors for generating electricity from Thar Coal.

The Chief Minister in his message to the inauguration ceremony said that the addition of power plants like ThalNova that utilized local fuel would significantly support Pakistan in reducing its dependency on imported fuel. He added that ThalNova has also created hundreds of direct employment opportunities for locals.

Shah said that the coal reserves of Thar could be used to generate 100,000 MW of electricity for over 200 years. “The utilization of Thar Coal would immensely impact Pakistan’s development, allowing the government to save up to $6 billion on fuel imports,” he said.

ThalNova Thar Power Limited is a 330 MW Coal-fired Power Project based on Thar Coal. It is part of China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). The project is a joint venture among Hub Power Company Ltd (Hubco), Thal Engineering Ltd, Novatex Limited and China Machinery Engineering Corporation (CMEC), which is also the EPC contractor.

The project started construction in March 2019 to ensure the earliest utilization of indigenous Thar Coal. The project experienced delays due to Covid-19 pandemic. The project has now been synchronized with the National Grid.

The Chief Minister said that ThalNova will utilize the indigenous coal from Phase 2 of Sindh Engro Coal Mining at Thar Block 2 and this will bring the cost of energy from Thar coal Block 2 to Rs9/kW/hr versus the imported coal plants which cost around Rs20-30/kW/hr.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022