Islamabad Chamber of Small Traders (ICST) on Sunday said 175 billion tonnes of coal in Thar can help produce one hundred thousand megawatts of electricity for the next two hundred years.
Thar coal can help reduce oil and gas import bill by billions of dollars while export of surplus electricity can generate almost 25 billion annually which is more than total exports, it said.
The energy Thar holds more than the combined energy of Saudi Arabia and Iran while it is 68 times higher than Pakistan's total gas reserves, said Patron ICST Shahid Rasheed Butt.
He said that the treasure buried in Thar has been estimated to be worth 25 trillion dollars which can resolve all the issues being faced by Pakistan.
Shahid Rasheed Butt said that the coal available in 9000 square kilometres of area holds the key to the prosperity of Pakistan, therefore, it should be given due importance.
Pakistan is facing a serious energy crisis due to a rapid increase in energy demand from growing demographic pressures and intense industrialization, he said.
He noted that present power generation capacity stands at 28000 MW while 22000 can be distributed due to primitive transmission and distribution system resulting in an average shortfall of 3000 MW but it can be overcome by Thar coal in the short term.
