09 February 2004	Monday	17 Zilhaj 1424

ISLAMABAD, Feb 8: China has expressed willingness to set up coal-fired power plants in the Thar area of Sindh before the end of the current fiscal year, officials say.

A 13-member delegation of the Shinhua Group Corporation would be arriving here on Feb 12 to discuss various issues regarding the pre-feasibility study of the Thar coal reserves. The study, being conducted by the group, is currently in the advanced stages of completion, sources said.

The delegation, they said, would hold meetings with officials of the Sindh Coal Authority, the ministry of petroleum and natural resources, the Private Power and Infrastructure Board and Wapda besides meeting with the Sindh secretaries for finance, irrigation, excise and taxation and works.

Officials said the delegation would furnish general clarifications on all issues concerning government policies for power generation project besides advancing technical clarifications.

The Chinese team would also visit various Wapda-run power plants, including Lakhra coal-fired power plant, an oil-fired plant and a gas-fired plant to discuss the operation and management of these plants.

The delegation would also inspect and survey the sites selected for the power plant and the coal pit. Three separate studies on different blocks of the Thar coal reserves are currently in progress.

Sources said that discussions with the Chinese group for taking in hand a portion of the Thar coal project were already in progress and the government wanted to lure more companies for the same project because it was a huge project and could not be handled by a single investor. Also, involvement of more companies would create a competitive environment and better results, sources added.

The Shinhua group has already informed the government that Thar coal field possessed significant potential and related environment was very suitable for development but required a lot of preparatory work for optimum utilisation of coal.