Thar Coal Block-II Phase-III inaugurated as produc...

Summary

•   THARPARKAR/ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Monday inaugurated the Phase-III expansion of Thar Coal Block-II in Tharparkar, marking a major development in the country’s efforts to strengthen energy security and reduce reliance on imported fuel.
• Officials estimate annual savings of around $220 million because of reduced dependence on imported coal, while power generation costs are expected to decline by approximately Rs15 billion annually.
• The expansion has also reduced the mine-mouth cost of coal to around $3.75 per MMBtu, making locally produced Thar coal considerably cheaper than imported coal and LNG.

AI Generated Summary

THARPARKAR/ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Monday inaugurated the Phase-III expansion of Thar Coal Block-II in Tharparkar, marking a major development in the country’s efforts to strengthen energy security and reduce reliance on imported fuel.

The latest expansion has increased the mine’s annual coal production capacity from 7.6 million tons to 11.2 million tons, representing an additional 3.6 million tons and a 47 percent increase in production capacity.

The mine is operated by Sindh Engro Coal Mining Company (SECMC), a joint venture between the Sindh government and Engro Energy. Thar Coal Block-II is Pakistan’s first open-pit lignite coal mining project.

The development of Block-II has taken place in phases. Commercial operations under Phase-I began on July 10, 2019, with an annual production capacity of 3.8 million tons. The capacity was later doubled to 7.6 million tons under Phase-II, while the newly inaugurated Phase-III has raised it further to 11.2 million tons annually.