China Will Help Pakistan Turn Thar’s Coal Into Liquid:

[Bilal Khan (Quwa)]

This all depends on the cost of the diesel. Will it be cheaper than diesel bought on the open market? If not, it's going to be a failed project from the get-go.

I'd much rather we spend every penny on renewable electricity. We need to change our power to renewable as quickly as possible and electrify the transportation in the country.

I'd like to see an aggressive and ambitious project where within the next 10 years;
- all bikes and rickshaws in the country to be electric.
- all public transport in the country to be electric

Within 15 years;
- All cars and vans to be turned to electric
- All rail lines to be converted to electric
- Massive increase in rail freight and increase in rail network so freight can get sent to commercial and industrial sectors within cities.

In 20 years time I'd like the only combustion engines in Pakistan to be fitted in vehicles in rural areas, maybe trucks (i don't know of long distance truck batteries yet). I'd like to see all transport electric within 30 years time.

To achieve this we need to;
- aggressively increase our electricity production using renewable means
- produce tech used to generate renewable energy domestically (brand new industry)
- produce and install network of chargers across the country
- setup industry to develop and manufacture batteries for electric vehicles
- setup an electric vehicle industry (rickshaws and bikes first)

We need to target urban areas first and then branch out to rural areas. The first vehicles could perhaps by hybrids.

If we take this leap, well be free of dependency on oil, we'll have cleaner air, and we'll create tens of millions of jobs inside our own country.

Agreed.

I'd move as many vehicles as possible to electric as quickly as possible, leaving only electricity generation to fossil fuels. It might be a 'half-way' solution, but I'd rather 100,000 carbon generators than 30 million via automobiles. In turn, we can then move the power generation units to domestically sourced systems, be it coal, gas, solar, wind, etc.

 

[Paul2]

The most cost effective is to use gas if possible; converting coal is most expensive; but where we were when no would would supply us oil; this was the only way. it still remains a strategic industry for us.

The most effective is to put a gigantic power station in Thar and put HVDC lines to Pakistan's biggest cities. It will make cheaper electricity, but with much much higher upfront costs

 

[denel]

The most effective is to put a gigantic power station in Thar and put HVDC lines to Pakistan's biggest cities. It will make cheaper electricity, but with much much higher upfront costs

but you forget the environmental costs associated with dirty coal.
Best is to put massive solar complexes in thar desert and wind. best use of resources and free sunshine.