Thar Coal Power Project to generate 5,000MW

Karachi: The government has chalked out a plan to generate 5,000 megawatts (MW) of electricity under the Thar Coal Power Generation Project, Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani said on Tuesday. In his message on the second anniversary of the magazine Energy Update, Gilani said that the project’s power generation capacity would be enhanced to 20,000MW in the future. The prime minister said the country was facing a serious power crisis with power shortages of 3,000MW and that the shortage was likely to go up to 4,000MW next year.

He said that the biggest-ever investment in the history of power sector of Pakistan was made during the government of the Pakistan People’s Party.

He said that the Power Policy of 1994 led to an additional 3,078MW of electricity production, which in return led to $3.5 billion investment.

The prime minister said that the government had devised and was implementing a plan to meet the energy needs of the country.

Power generation: “During this year, we shall install 2,200MW power generation units,” the prime minister announced.

He said the government was giving equal attention to the energy saving drive. “We plan to save 500MW through special load management campaigns, thereby scaling down load shedding,” he said.

He added that the Pakistan Electric Power Company (PEPCO) had been ordered to ensure the provision of 10 million energy saving bulbs at subsidised prices to consumers.

He praised the magazine for projecting various aspects of the energy sector and for highlighting the energy potential in Pakistan and other countries.

The prime minister hoped that the national media, including the Energy Update magazine, would support the government’s energy saving campaign to achieve energy security, which he said was vital for the sustainable growth of the national economy.

He congratulated the management and the editorial staff of the magazine on its second anniversary.

Meanwhile, Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ebad Khan said in his message that the government while taking all steps to improve the power supply to the industry, business and households, was also pushing for energy conservation.

He praised the magazine for highlighting the importance of energy in the country’s economic development through its analyses and reporting.

“It is heartening to note that the magazine is also trying to persuade the government by publishing foreign and local technical and research reports on the use and benefits of alternate sources of energy like wind and solar power,” the governor said.