Islamabad

Pakistan has become the first country in the region to generate 4 Mega Watt of electricity from the Thar Coal Power Plant through an underground coal gasification process.
"We have successfully produced 1MW in May from coal gasification power plant and now in June we have commissioned a total of 4 mw to our system, an official source told The Nation here. Initially we have commissioned 4 mega watt (mw) from the power plants and will increase it to 10 MW by the end of the year, the official maintained.
With 4 MW you can easily install about 100 KV transformers which can cater for the electricity requirements of the project and a nearby villages.
The project was started in 2009 but due to funds shortage it could not take off in time. The Sindh government had allotted Block-5 of Thar Coal field to Underground Coal Gasification (UCG) led by Dr Samar Mubarakmand to generate underground coal gas known as Syn gas to produce electricity.
Earlier the government committed to provide Rs 9 billion for the Underground Coal Gasification (UCG) to install two 50 MW each coal gasified plants on Thar coal but later due to fund shortage it was decided to launch a pilot project of 10MW capacity. Underground coal gasification was a unique experience in Pakistan and in the first phase, an experimental structure was raised under which pipes were drilled down 160 metres deep into the coalfield to reach the coal bed. After pumping out underground water lying near coal bed fired the coal underground and produced coal gas. The gas was supplied to the experimental plant and lit the flame. By successfully commissioning of the electricity from the gasified coal plant we have shut down those mouths which used to say that electricity from the gasified coal plant is distinct possibility, the official claimed now it's only the matter of funds availability the more the funds the more the electricity.
However another official have termed the project expensive saying so far Rs 3 billion have been released for the project and we got only 4 mw electricity and may be add more 6 mw. I don't know why they were asking just Rs 9 billion for the entire project of 100 mw, the official questioned and added that with Rs 9 billion the production of 100 mw is a good deal but with Rs 3 billion the production of 10 mw is expensive.