Conference: Thar coal dubbed solution to energy crisis

Experts urge the new government to employ sustainable energy sources.


Our Correspondent May 16, 2013
Experts urge the new government to employ sustainable energy sources. DESIGN: FAIZAN DAWOOD

ISLAMABAD:


Energy experts at a conference here on Wednesday wondered why the abundant coal reserves of Thar have been ignored all these years to solve the worsening problem of power shortage which has virtually rendered over 400,000 workers jobless and brought industrial progress to a halt.


They urged the incoming government to expedite plans to use the coal reserves and other sustainable sources of energy like solar and wind power to generate electricity at far cheaper rates than what the inefficient and corrupt system of Independent Power Producers was delivering.



In his inaugural speech, Quaid-i-Azam University Vice-Chancellor Masoom Yasinzai stated the country had both the physical and scientific resources to solve the energy problem but the policymakers just did not want to listen.

He mentioned molasses from the sugar industry of which 80 per cent was being exported at junk market rates instead of being used as a source for energy generation. He said making biogas and using biomass for energy generation was no rocket science that the country could not use as a sustainable and environment friendly source but the academia’s work was being neglected and all of its research was going waste.



He quoted UNESCO, saying countries that made no use of their natural resources were bound to become poor. He noted that the present economic growth rate needs to be doubled and allocation for education must be raised to 4 percent if the country has to be saved from economic doom.

Mirza Hamid Hassan, former secretary, Water and Power, said the relegation of hydel power to 30 per cent in the present energy mix from its former 70 per cent had made electricity rates exorbitant. He added the country needed an integrated energy policy, institutional arrangements and end to theft and line losses to overcome the present crisis.

Dr Khanji Harijan of Mehran University, speaking on the prospects of renewable sources, said that if these natural resources could be put to use Pakistan could produce nine times of its power consumption needs and the entire countryside could be electrified without causing harm to the environment.

Dr Vaqar Ahmad of Sustainable Development Policy Institute said that at present 22 departments were dealing with energy in the country, adding this fragmentation of governance was behind the present mess. He said government should supply gas to power producers according to their efficiency. He also favoured energy trade with India.

Dr Gulfraz Ahmad, energy expert and former secretary, ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources, said that in Pakistan’s energy mix the proportion of oil based electricity was 33 per cent whereas it was one per cent in India and 2 per cent in USA. He opposed small generating units and said economies of scale with optimal location must be employed.

In the second session of the conference Dr Ehsan Elahi spoke on biofuels, Dr Shaukat Hassan on nuclear power, Dr Shaheen Akhtar on hydel power. Akhtar favoured run of the river projects while bigger dams came up.

Sindh Government Coal and Energy Secretary Dr Ejaz Ahmad said work on Thar coal was going apace. He rejected objections against Thar coal and quoted figures from world use. He claimed that 41 per cent of energy in the world was coal dependent while in Pakistan with one of the world’s largest coal deposits it was only 0.07 per cent.

In the question answer session, an “obsession with Kala Bagh Dam” was said to have caused much waste of time and postponement of workable projects. Organised by Islamabad Policy Research Institute and Hanns Seidel Foundation of Germany, the conference is being held at the Islamabad Hotel.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 16th, 2013.

COMMENTS (3)

Zinda | 10 years ago | Reply

Samar Mobarakmand has wasted billions of rupees on this project. He has utterly failed.

Invest more inn hydro, wind and nuclear energy.

Bubba | 10 years ago | Reply

Thar coal hasn't been developed because the quality is poor and the cost of extraction is exorbitant - lousy combo. Coal gasification was touted as the saving grace for Thar a few years ago but that technology hasn't become commercially viable yet. There are many major coal Companies/producers in the World who have vast experience and wealth - perhaps Pakistan should ask why those companies have shown no interest in Thar Coal.

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