KARACHI: The Sindh government is planning to develop the Thar coalfield as a potential hub of petrochemicals, and may export coal to international markets including India in the days to come, as per a provincial official.
Commercial drilling of the resource with 175 billion tons of coal reserves divided into 14 blocks is likely to start in 2018 by Sindh-Engro Coal Mining Company and Sino-Sindh Resources Limited from block-II and block-I respectively.
The decision came after the government has received proposals from foreign mining and power generation companies. Sindh Energy Secretary Agha Wasif Abbas said, “The idea is to develop the Thar coalfield as a petrochemical hub for achieving strategic goals for the region.” Thar coalfield, which is now part of the Pakistan-China Economic Corridor, could be a game changer for the country and prove vital in tackling the energy crisis, as per experts.
