THIS is in response to Murtaza Haider’s blog, ‘From Thar coal to utility poles: power politics in Pakistan’ (Dawn.com, Sept 19).

The writer has rightly argued that — though Thar coal reserves were discovered in 1991 — more than 20 years hence not much electricity has been generated from the estimated 175bn tonnes of coal reserves.

Thar coal is one of the largest reserves around the world. In spite of this, we haven’t transformed this coal into a useful entity.

We reportedly produce only one per cent of electricity from coal whereas others such as the US, China and India, according to an IEA report in 2010, produce 49 per cent, 79 per cent and 69 per cent of electricity, respectively.

Some years ago feasibility reports of international companies such as Sino-Coal (China), SRK (United Kingdom) and RWE (Germany) concluded that Thar coal is economically and technically viable, and it can be used for electricity generation.

Now Pakistan is facing an energy crisis which we can overcome by producing electricity from coal. When the PPP-led coalition government came to power in 2008, it decided to exploit Thar coal to overcome the energy crisis.

Dr Samar Mubarakmand was given the assignment to initiate, experimentally, 10 MW power plant based on underground coal gasification.

Nearly Rs900m was released. His experiment did not work and finally the project failed miserably. It is a fact that electricity production based on underground coal gasification is not done anywhere in the world.

It is mostly confined to the experimental projects. After the underground coal gasification failure our government has taken the decision to close the project.

Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar, minister for power and water, said: “Samar Mubarakmand has not given any breakthrough so far”.

The Planning Commission has also termed the project ‘unfeasible’. If the government already knew that there were no chances of breakthrough and the project was unfeasible, it should not have wasted Rs900m of taxpayers’ money.

Now the government has decided to import coal for electricity production.

For this nearly one billion dollars will be allocated.

I wonder why has the government decided to import coal when it has already a huge coal reserve?

The authorities concerned should look into the matter instead of importing coal. Thar coal should be explored.

This way we can save much money and also provide jobs to thousands of local people.

DEEDAR HUSSAIN SAMEJO Jamshoro