Islamabad: The federal government aims to convert the coal extracted from Thar into diesel with the help of China’s Shenhua Ningxia Coal Industry Group, a news source reported. As per details, the officials concerned recently conducted successful negotiations with the Chinese company for a future collaborative stint.
Adviser to the Prime Minister (PM) on Petroleum Nadeem Babar stated that the Pakistani authorities – during PM Imran Khan’s latest visit to Beijing – held preliminary meetings with the top management of the Chines coal company.
He added that more talks would take place in attempts to finalise the agreement. If the company agrees to install a coal-to-liquid conversion plant in Thar, then, Pakistan would have a sustainable supply of diesel – providing enormous impetus for power crisis elimination and national economic growth.
Moreover, Babar said that the proposed power plant could greatly reduce the country’s import bill for fuel. Pakistan requires an increase of 19% in coal-based energy production by 2030, and 50% by 2050. The reserves in block-II alone can sufficiently support the production of 5000MW of energy for at least 50 years. Previously, the Sindh government invited Australian firms to invest in the Thar coal project since the country has the necessary expertise and resources to utilise this project to its maximum potential.
