Turkish firm to generate power from Thar coal

Will make $1b investment in the project.

KARACHI:

The Sindh government and a Turkish company have signed an agreement for generating electricity from Thar coal.

Under the agreement, which was signed at the Chief Minister’s House the other day, Turkish firm Colakoglu Investment would produce 600 megawatts of electricity from coal in the first phase through an investment of $1 billion.

The MoU documents were signed by Thar Coal and Energy Department Director General Abdul Majeed Pathan and Hayder N Colakoglu of the Turkish company.

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah said the provincial government was fully committed to overcoming power shortage and with the help of Thar coal reserves, the province would generate maximum electricity.

He said Sindh had already allotted eight blocks of Thar coalfield to different companies while two more were being provided to other companies for feasibility studies and exploration work.

Shah said thousands of megawatts would be produced with the help of coal, which would revitalise the economy of the country in general and Sindh in particular.

He said a large area still remained to be explored, of which one block was being given to the Turkish company which would conduct exploration work after a detailed study. The company will submit its feasibly report with details of coal deposits and proposed installation of power plants.

He said Engro Corporation was also working on a power generation project of more than 1,000 megawatts, with an investment of $3 billion. “When the development work is completed, not only Sindh, but the whole country will reap its fruits,” he said.

Colakoglu Investment CEO Hayder N Colakoglu, giving details of the company’s businesses, said it was operating liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals, had a 200-megawatt coal-fired power plant, a 400-megawatt gas-fired power plant and gold, copper and chromate mines as well as ventures in banking. He said his company intended to make maximum investments in the energy sector.

Earlier, Thar Coal and Energy Department Secretary Aijaz Ali Khan highlighted efforts of the provincial government for development of coal reserves and increase in power generation.







Published in The Express Tribune, June 10th, 2011.