Coal news and updates

Modern life would be hard to imagine without electricity. It lights houses, buildings, streets, provides domestic and industrial heat, and powers most equipment used in homes, offices and machinery in factories. Improving access to electricity worldwide is critical to alleviating poverty. Coal plays a vital role in electricity generation worldwide. Coal-fired power plants currently meet 41 per cent of overall global electricity needs.

There are many countries that have less coal reserves than Pakistan but their percentage of power generation through coal is much higher. South Africa, Poland and China generate 93, 87 and 79 per cent electricity, respectively, through coal. Even our neighbouring country India which is one of the largest importers of coal meets 68 per cent of its electricity needs through coal.

Pakistan has one of the largest reserves of coal in the world, but currently it produces a mere 0.1 per cent of its electricity through this source of fuel. Coal reserves in Thar could, undoubtedly, prove to be a lifeline for Pakistan. This will help alleviate poverty and provide the much-needed boost to the country’s economy.

Being a concerned and optimistic citizen, I must appeal to the government to use indigenous energy resources which remain unexplored and/or unused. Large-scale exploration of oil and gas should be carried out across Pakistan and construction of new dams, coal-based power projects and LNG import should remain on a priority list of the government.

Quite a number of medium-sized hydropower projects is ready to be launched on the Jhelum, Kunar and Swat rivers, as well as in Dir and Chitral. These should be taken up even if mega multipurpose projects like Bhasha, Kalabagh are not yet started. Doing nothing is no option.

 

 

Source: http://tribune.com.pk/