Effective Remedy for Energy Crisis

By: Haroon Baloch
 

First decade of 21^st century yielded mere crises for Pakistan. In post 9/11 era, war imposed by US and its allies caused major setbacks to country's growth and prosperity. Around $70 billions have been spent from nation's taxes in 10 years to fight war against terror in Pakistan, sacrificed around 40 thousand lives including 7000 troops. Loss is impossible to calculate when it comes to analyze hesitant foreign investment.

Apart from flour, sugar, earthquake, floods and others crises Pakistani nation has seen in first 10 years of the century, the most threatening one to our economy is energy crisis. According to careful estimates, over 0.45 million people have become jobless and figure is expected to go higher in upcoming years.

Government of Pakistan has remained incapable of delivering the results since it pledged to fight with energy crisis, gifted by previous regime, apart from ensuring Roti, Kapra aur Makan.

What we have seen, government remained indulged in non-public affairs; e.g. dodging political parties, maintaining tussle with other state institutions, protecting corrupt party leaders, scoring points at times of calamities, breaking and making coalitions, etc.  

In whole these circumstances, government sacrificed public interests. Industry has badly affected, circular debt is at an alarming position, and unprecedented exports are of no avail since imports have broken all previous records.

The single energy crisis has affected 2,500 industries in Pakistan. Hundreds of industrialists have shifted their industries to Bangladesh, Vietnam, UAE, China and other countries where they are attracted by subsidized energy facilities, tax free environment and advanced infrastructure.

This reminds us era of 70s when PPP's nationalization policies destroyed private industry sector. It took almost 30 years to rebuild this sector and now it is again on the verge of destruction. 

Government has chalked out no significant plans in meeting energy crises, what has all done reflects bogus short-term planning in terms of hiring thermal power production plants. And now smooth supplies of fuel for such plants are another challenge for government since country is already facing shortage of gas whereas furnace oil is expensive.

Talking about natural gas, government has signed a couple of agreements that are of worth, but it will not meet our needs. Iran-Pakistan (IP) gas pipeline project would narrow the demand and supply gap only to 16%. Similar is the case with Tajikistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline project, which does not absolutely competes country's energy requirements.

Another setback in this juncture is that outdated technology of boiler plants is in use for power generation from gas, which results in 50% loss of inputs. Country also needs to upgrade its technology to IGCCs as other countries are using this technology for the maximum utility of gas.  

The only way Pakistan has to get rid off of energy crisis is to exploit its own resources. Pakistan has massive treasure of coal in southern part of the country at Thar, Sindh, probably the third largest in the world, which were discovered 22 years back. Since then, country has utilized not a single kilogram of coal for the generation of energy.

Now government is pushed to exploit this resource on the recommendation of great Pakistani scientist and member Science and Technology of Planning Commission of Pakistan, Dr. Sammar Mubarakmand, who is given the task to dig out well and setup a gasification plant on experimental basis, which is a 100 MW project. After successful completion of it's both phases, country would gradually increase it capacity to generate bulk of energy.

World's overall energy production from coal is estimated at 41 percent, whereas only our neighboring country and rapidly growing economy in the world India has been producing 46.2 percent of its energy from coal. As against these figures, only two percent energy is being generated in Pakistan by coal and this is the reason today we are facing 5000 MW electricity shortage on daily basis. If circumstances remained the same, this shortage would cross 10,000 MW limit by 2030.