Thar Coal rail link to national network 68% complete: Sharjeel Memon

KARACHI (News Desk): Senior Sindh Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon has said that 68 percent work on the project to connect Thar with the national railway network has been completed.

Thar coal is being expanded beyond power generation to become a source of industrial development, he said.

In a statement he said that the annual production capacity of Thar Coal Block-II has been increased from 7.6 million tons to 11.2 million tons, marking an annual increase of 3.6 million tons in coal production.

With the increase, coal supply to other industrial sectors along with power plants will be possible, he added.

A plan to upgrade coal for industrial use has been initiated, Memon said, adding that possibilities of using coal as an industrial raw material are being explored.

He said that costs of coal sale to other industrial buyers will not be transferred to electricity consumers’ tariffs.

There are investment opportunities in coal gasification, methanol and chemicals production from local coal, he noted.

We will utilize Thar’s natural resources for national industrial development through modern technology and infrastructure, he said.

New opportunities for energy security and economic self-reliance will emerge from local resources, the minister concluded.