Power woes: Nawaz, Zardari launch Thar coal project

The project will generate 660MW when it comes on stream in 2017.

MITHI/ THARPARKAR:

Casting their political rivalry aside for a few fleeting hours on Friday, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and former president Asif Ali Zardari together oversaw the groundbreaking ceremony of Engro’s open pit mining project in Thar.

Their presence struck a rare note of harmony in the country’s otherwise bitterly polarised political arena.

The project, a joint venture between Engro Powergen and the government of Sindh, will initially provide 660MW of power to the energy-starved industrial units once completed in 2017.

Addressing the ceremony, Premier Nawaz appreciated Zardari’s invitation to the event, saying that it provided him with an opportunity to see and understand the pivotal development project – at a time when the nation is gripped by an acute power crisis.

Commenting on his appearance alongside Zardari at the event, the prime minister said it showed that the political leadership stood united on most, if not all, national issues.

He also underscored the need for consensus among the country’s political leadership over crucial issues - including security, development and prosperity of marginalised communities.

“Politics is a different realm. Each party presents its manifesto to the people and seeks their mandate to govern. In 2008, we accepted the PPP’s mandate and in 2013 they generously accepted ours,” Nawaz said.



The premier said that a range of power projects, including hydel and nuclear generation, were being developed to bridge the gap between supply and demand of electricity.

In a rare display of unity, the premier also supported former president Zardari’s suggestion for setting up an industrial park in Thar that would generate employment for the people.

“The Thar coal project will ensure prosperity for the people and for the generations to come” Nawaz said praising the Tharis’ courage for confronting the adversities of drought and poverty in the region.

Earlier, former president Zardari, during his address said the political leadership in the country had matured and the nation would benefit from democracy.

“This is a revolution of time which we need to pass onto the new generations,” he said.

Shunning political differences, Zardari said “You and I together will complete what was envisioned and initiated by Benazir Bhutto.

During the ceremony, Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah assured the provincial government’s cooperation in the project. Subsequently, he added, the Thar Coal Energy Board, which comprises federal ministers and provincial ministers and a secretary from both the province and the centre as its members had been constituted.

Speaking on the occasion, Engro Corporation’s Chairman Hussain Dawood, said that the project was a major milestone that would serve as a game changer in the energy sector.

Project details

While highlighting details, another Engro official, Khurshid Jamali said that the Thar Coal Power Company would produce 3,960MW of electricity, in six phases, from the coal in Block II of the project.

The first phase, he added, of 660MW would be completed within three and a half years, while a new unit of 660MW each would be added subsequently.

A sum of $1.6 billion with $800 million component for the open pit mining and $800 million for the power plant would be invested in the project, Jamali said.

Explaining the potential of coal in Thar, he said Block II with its 2 billion tons of coal reserves, out of which 1.5 billion tons were economically recoverable, was just one per cent of the total coal deposits in Thar.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 1^st, 2014.