Pakistan to complete coal gasification power plant

Pakistan is expected to complete a pilot project, which will generate electricity from the Thar Coal project through gasification this year.

The project was launched in 2010 by the Planning Commission of Pakistan, Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission and National Engineering and Scientific Commission to produce electricity using Thar coal reserves.

Thar Coal reserves, worth US$25 trillion, have the potential to produce 5,000MW electricity for at least 800 years to serve the country's energy needs, the group told the Associated Press of Pakistan.

The company said that the project, supervised by nuclear scientist Dr Samar Mubarakmand, was at its advanced stage and would be complete in the near future.

The plant will be installed on coal deposits for producing gas to fuel the project.

Power generated from coal gasification would be cheaper than other sources like furnace oil, natural gas and hydel power.