Coal Power Plants will Hurt Pakistan

[Dexon]

Permanently buying fuel from abroad means a permanent drain on foreign reserves. Using indegenous resources avoids this loss and boosts domestic economy. Of all the foreign gas options, the Iran deal is on paper the best.

Modern coal technology is nothing like the 1950's technology that most current coal powered stations use, and there is still room for improvement.

Pakistan is a big country with a high population. Even Iran also uses other fuels to supply electricity. But using only coal is another thing. And coal is the most polluted fuel. developed countries are moving toward to remove it

 

[pzfz]

Pak needs all sources of energy to meet its current and future demand. Naturally, like all developing (and most developed) countries, it's going to be an energy mix. The environmentwallas can go jump off a cliff.

 

[ziaulislam]

Pakistan is a big country with a high population. Even Iran also uses other fuels to supply electricity. But using only coal is another thing. And coal is the most polluted fuel. developed countries are moving toward to remove it

Just like usa and Europe who still use greater than 40%

Coal shift is not a pollution problem but an economy problem..in developed country labour is too expensive so shift to renewable and less intensive labour like gas

 

[Mrc]

But the people of Karachi was screaming against plans to build nuclear power plant near Karachi as well, they also cry of higher electricity prices and shortage of electricity. Anyway plant more trees, stop dumping waste in rivers, lakes and sea, stand up to support building new dams in order to correct the mistake of screwing up nature.

They ...are also against building dams

 

[Kambojaric]

Pakistan is a big country with a high population. Even Iran also uses other fuels to supply electricity. But using only coal is another thing. And coal is the most polluted fuel. developed countries are moving toward to remove it

Pakistan is diversifying it's energy mix, it's not intending to "using only coal". New hydropower plants are under construction or have recently been completed (Google
Neelum-Jhelum Dam or Diamer Bhasha Dam), renewable energy is also being invested in (several new solar plants) as well as nuclear power (under construction power plant in Karachi).

However it is absolutely bizarre that Pakistan should not utilize it's coal reserves given the extremely dire balance of payment situation in the country, with imports surging ahead of exports. Given that the countries in the immediate neighborhood of Pakistan most notably India have been using and enjoying the financial benefits of coal for decades whilst polluting the wider region, it is only fair that Pakistan too avail of this cheap source of energy. Sure it is not the cleanest choice but this is not a budget surplus nation like Norway that we are talking about. It's a developing war stricken nation who has to make do with whatever resources it has available.

 

[Hu Yao]

Pakistan is a big country with a high population. Even Iran also uses other fuels to supply electricity. But using only coal is another thing. And coal is the most polluted fuel. developed countries are moving toward to remove it

No, not exactly!

Half of Chinese electricity coming from coal powerplants, that's about 3 trillion kWh. About 6 times more than Canada. The air pollution is a complex problem, not only from coal.

 

[The Accountant]

I think this will be balanced by using sea water to treat the impure gases and to separate sulphur and other harmful particles from exhaust gases ...

Sea side is the best place for coal plants however, they should have been away from Karachi somewhere between Gawadar and Karachi

 

[ziaulislam]

I really do not understand Pakistan. When Pakistan can receive cheap and reliable gas from Iran and not use coal. But ...

its neither cheap nor reliable
we spent decades in negotiations yet iran refuse to budge less than 70 brent oil...for reference Turkmenistan was offering 55% at start of negotiations...

than reliability issue with sanctions

power we buy from iran cost 12cents...electricity produced via LNG (imported gas) cost 7.6 cents!!! for references Turkmenistan wants to sell its power at 4.5 rs

 

[Dexon]

its neither cheap nor reliable
we spent decades in negotiations yet iran refuse to budge less than 70 brent oil...for reference Turkmenistan was offering 55% at start of negotiations...

than reliability issue with sanctions

power we buy from iran cost 12cents...electricity produced via LNG (imported gas) cost 7.6 cents!!! for references Turkmenistan wants to sell its power at 4.5 rs

Iran spent more than 7 billion on gas pipelines. If the project was completed, the price would certainly be more competitive ...

 

[Śakra]

its neither cheap nor reliable
we spent decades in negotiations yet iran refuse to budge less than 70 brent oil...for reference Turkmenistan was offering 55% at start of negotiations...

than reliability issue with sanctions

power we buy from iran cost 12cents...electricity produced via LNG (imported gas) cost 7.6 cents!!! for references Turkmenistan wants to sell its power at 4.5 rs

Wow our solar cost only 2.2rs/unit

 

[The Accountant]

Wow our solar cost only 2.2rs/unit

Source ?

 

[niaz]

I really do not understand Pakistan. When Pakistan can receive cheap and reliable gas from Iran and not use coal. But ...

No doubt Iran has a lot of gas, that was the reason behind the IPI pipeline. However, the major consumer, India pulled out under pressure from the USA and Pakistan can’t find the money to build their part of the pipeline because of refusal from the international banks, again due to the US pressure. Qatar LNG is the next best option.

Thar coal is a different matter altogether. Being indigenous, there is surety of supply and even though it may be expensive on cents/kWh basis; the project has enormous social benefits for the area.

I am all for Thar coal exploitation, only I would like the power companies to clean the exhaust gases before releasing the same.

 

[A.A. Khan]

There will always be sh*tholes to do disinformation.
The only purpose for the thread is to confuse and disinform, as Pakistan has started producing its own indigenous coal.

Many of the top 10 economies power generation source is coal. India generates 60%+ of its generation from coal,and it has'nt reduced its share. Pakistan's coal share in power generation is only 30-35% way below many countries. Pakistan has wasted billions of dollars on oil imports. This should've happened sooner if PPP thugs/foreign agents were not in power. Coal plant like the Sahiwal coal plant is operating as a base-load plant and unlike the hydropower or RLNG projects has been operating without much issues or breakdowns. The jokes who are propagating on coal hurting Pakistan don't explain on why their own country is running majority of its power plants on coal and the so-called environmentalists have their own foreign agenda as they themselves know what there saying is not possible as its not economically feasible.

Who is buying gas from Iran? India? India abandoned the IPI pipeline andthere were no takers . Pakistani companies already suffering from US oversights any sanctions would devastate them. Somehow some intellectuals jump in to advocate IRan gas pipeline which they know is not possible due to sanctions and US pressure.

These plants have helped reduce the massive import bill we had to deal with every year. So no one will complain.

 

[Kambojaric]

There will always be sh*tholes to do disinformation.
The only purpose for the thread is to confuse and disinform, as Pakistan has started producing its own indigenous coal.

Many of the top 10 economies power generation source is coal. India generates 60%+ of its generation from coal,and it has'nt reduced its share. Pakistan's coal share in power generation is only 30-35% way below many countries. Pakistan has wasted billions of dollars on oil imports. This should've happened sooner if PPP thugs/foreign agents were not in power.

Actually power generation from coal has thus far been extremely negligble in Pakistan (see below). Even after the construction of these new coal plants our power generation mix will still be using far less coal in percentage terms than India's. So those complaining about the rising usage of coal in Pakistan should first complain about how India has been polluting the region for decades. Pollution from its coal plants does not automatically stop at the border or LOC.

 

[Ajaxpaul]

No doubt Iran has a lot of gas, that was the reason behind the IPI pipeline. However, the major consumer, India pulled out under pressure from the USA and Pakistan can’t find the money to build their part of the pipeline because of refusal from the international banks, again due to the US pressure. Qatar LNG is the next best option.

Thar coal is a different matter altogether. Being indigenous, there is surety of supply and even though it may be expensive on cents/kWh basis; the project has enormous social benefits for the area.

I am all for Thar coal exploitation, only I would like the power companies to clean the exhaust gases before releasing the same.

Sir, no one can help on the low calorific value, high sulphur content and high ash content of subcontinent coal. In fact it's just one grade above lignite.