ISLAMABAD - President Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry Zahid Maqbool Friday said there is need to utilise Thar coal as it has the potential to produce 100,000 MW for 300 years, which is the solution of the power crisis. He observed this while presiding over a meeting of ICCI Sub Committee on Energy. According to the Geological Survey of Pakistan (2005), Pakistan has huge coal reserves of about 185b tons bulk of which are located in Sindh, he informed, He said that all South Asian economies including Pakistan are confronted with a massive crisis of power shortage leading to excessive load shedding due to which their economies are badly suffering. However, they can overcome this problem if they agree to a single point agenda of utilising untapped energy potential found in Pakistan and Nepal, he opined. Not only Pakistan but Nepal also has the largest hydropower potential in South Asia, as it possesses 83,000 MW of hydroelectric power potential he said and added that both the countries have the potential to meet the energy needs of the entire South Asian region, but due to financial constraints, they could not tap this potential. He stressed that to exploit this massive energy potential coal and water in Pakistan and Nepal, South Asian countries including India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Bhutan should pool their financial resources and technical expertise and start mega energy projects in Pakistan and Nepal and develop a consensus energy distribution formula for meeting their energy needs. He said there are many examples of power sharing among countries of Africa, Latin America, Central Asia and South East Asia and South Asian countries should also take benefit from such arrangements.