KARACHI:Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has said that 1320 megawatt of coal-fired energy has been added to the national grid in this month of December 2022 and another 660 megawatt would be added next year.
“I believe that solution to the country’s energy crisis lies in Thar coal.”
This he said on Monday while presiding over a board meeting of Thar Coal Energy here at the CM House.
The meeting was attended by Sindh Education Minister Syed Sardar Shah, Minister Energy Imtiaz Shaikh, Advisor Law Murtaza Wahab, Chief Secretary Sohail Rajput, PSCM Fayaz Jatoi, DG Coal Authority Khadim Channa, and others.
Federal Minister for Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Shazia Marri, Special Assistant to PM Tariq Bajwa, Federal Secretary Energy Rashid Langrial, Federal Secretary Law Raja Naeem Akbar, and others attended the meeting through video link.
Sindh Energy Minister Imtiaz Shaikh while giving briefing to the chief minister said that Sino-Sindh Resources (SSR) started coal excavation work in Block-I in January and in December 31, 99 percent work has been completed to excavate 7.8 mtpa coal. It was a part of CPEC project.
The CM was told that the Power engineering Company has installed two 660 MW coal-fired power plants for $2 billion. Both the power plants successfully synchronized with the national grid on December 2 and December 11.
Imtiaz Shaikh told the chief minister that SECM planned to expand the mine from 7.6 mtpa to 12.2 mtpa mine. He said that Lucky Electric Power has started work on a 660 MW power plant for which it would be supplied 3.6 Mtpa coal. This plant would start commercial operation in 2024.
It may be noted that Thar Energy has already synchronized its 330 MW coal-fired power plant with the national Grid in October and another 330 MW would start commercial operation by 2023.