KARACHI, July 30: The Thar Coal and Energy Board (TECB), which has superseded the Thar Coal Authority (TCA), is aimed at providing one-window facilitation to investors for the exploitation of coal resources for power generation.
The TECB will save investors from unnecessary troubles by addressing all matters in an expeditious manner.
This was stated by the four members on the board from the Sindh government at a press conference held on Wednesday at the Chief Minister’s House.
The conference, which was aimed at dispelling the impression of compromising provincial autonomy over the exploitation of coal reserves created by a federal government notification for setting up the THA, was addressed by members of the TCEB, Revenue Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, Irrigation and Power Minister Jam Saifullah Dharejo, and Technical member Syed Asad Ali Shah.
The July 8 notification of the federal government regarding setting up the TCA had also notified the abolition of the Sindh Coal Authority and the Thar Coal Mining Authority, a joint venture of the federal and Sindh governments.
However, at the press conference Jam Mehtab Dhar claimed that the SCA had not been abolished and only the SCA would finalise deals with the investors of coal-fired power plants.
“We are not negligent of rights of Sindh and know how to protect them,” he remarked.
Minister Dharejo said the board comprised nine members -- six from Sindh and three from the federal government -- while its chairman would be the Sindh chief minister. The three federal nominees are federal ministers for law, water and power and the deputy chairman of the Planning Commission. The members from the federal governments were nominated on the board to get support from Islamabad on issues related to tariff and power generation and to point out legal anomalies.
Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah said the coal reserves in Sindh were the sole property of Sindh and those who were expressing apprehension in this regard were instrumental in harming Sindh’s interests.
He recalled that the last PPP government, led by Benazir Bhutto, had signed an MoU for setting up a 5,280mw power plant which was not given due attention after the dissolution of her government and now soon after coming to power the PPP government had taken up the coal-fired power plants issue by utilising the coal reserves.
Mr Shah said the members of the board from Sindh had informally met twice to sort out the agenda for a formal meeting of the board and if any legal lacunas were found in the constitution of the board, attempts would be made to rectify them.
Asad Ali Shah said that the coal reserves in Thar, which were estimated to be 175 billion tons, were very suitable for power generation.
“There are many issues confronting the country, including the power shortage problem, which is a major impediment to potential growth in the country. He said the power shortage was so acute that every citizen was affected by it.
Highlighting the need to exploit the coal reserves for power generation, he said Pakistan’s 40 to 50 per cent power generation was from thermal energy obtained with imported furnace oil, which was consuming up to eight billion dollars, which could be saved with the coal-fired power generation.
He said with current soaring oil prices it was no longer possible for Pakistan to sustain thermal energy with imported oil, and Pakistan was left with no option but to go for coal-fired power generation and that was what the government was giving top priority to.
Mr Shah said the royalty which Sindh would get from coal exploitation would be sufficient to improve the economy of the province and provide a better living to people in the backward areas of Tharparkar.
Khatoomal Jeewan said a qualitative technical institute for mining engineering, being set up in collaboration with a foreign institution, would be in addition to the present institute where already 85 students were being trained in mining technology.