KARACHI, April 8: Geological Survey has entered into an agreement with Bakht Business House for sinking of an exploratory shaft at Thar coal field prior to awarding a contract for mining of 2,000 tons of coal samples for combustion engineering tests for power generation.
The on-going sinking of the shaft is considered essential to prepare a final bankable feasibility for the coal mining, says a press release of Geological Survey of Pakistan, Federal Petroleum Ministry.
In Thar coal field, the first seam is present at a minimum depth of 114 metres whereas the depth of the main coal seam, named Thar Seam, ranges from 150 to 203 metres. The main coal is generally 15 metres thick in most of the area and attains maximum thickness of 22.8 metres.
During this current exploratory process about 2,000 tons of coal will be extracted to undertake the combustion engineering test to determine the suitability level of Thar coal for use in power generation as well as cement and sugar.
Petroleum Minister Usman Aminuddin will visit the ground-breaking ceremony on April 9.
Thar has so far proven reserves of nine billion tons by drilling 217 exploratory holes throughout the desert. The total estimated potential of Thar coal is about 175 billion tons, which is 95 per cent of total estimate of coal reserves in the country.
