Sources of power
Fuels and how they are obtained
| Fuel | How it is obtained |
|---|---|
| Coal | open-cast mining (the surface layers of earth are removed with machines, for coal near the surface, as in the Thar); adit mining (a horizontal tunnel driven into the side of a hill to reach the coal seam, common in the Salt Range and Balochistan); shaft mining (a vertical shaft is dug to reach seams deep underground, with lifts and tunnels) |
| Natural gas and crude oil | exploration (seismic surveys to find rock structures) followed by drilling a well; the gas or oil rises or is pumped to the surface; pipelines carry them to refineries and users |
Renewable and non-renewable sources
- Non-renewable: coal, oil and natural gas (and uranium for nuclear power). They are used up and cannot be replaced in a human lifetime, and they cause pollution.
- Renewable: water (hydel), wind, sun (solar), and others such as waves, tides, biofuels and geothermal power. They are replaced naturally and cause little pollution.
Generating electricity from renewable sources (briefly)
| Source | How it works |
|---|---|
| Hydel (hydroelectric) | water from a dam flows through pipes and spins turbines connected to generators |
| Wind | the wind turns the blades of a wind turbine, driving a generator |
| Solar | photovoltaic (PV) panels turn sunlight into electricity directly (or mirrors heat water for steam) |
| Wave and tidal | the movement of waves or tides drives turbines |
| Biofuels | burning plant material or waste (such as bagasse from sugar cane) |
| Geothermal | steam from hot rocks underground turns turbines |
The importance of power for development
Power is needed for industry, agriculture (tubewells), transport, homes, hospitals and schools, and communications. A reliable supply attracts investment and jobs; shortages harm production and living standards.
Non-renewable power resources in Pakistan
Coal
- Pakistan has large coal reserves, mainly in the Thar Desert (one of the world's largest lignite deposits, over 150 billion tonnes by some estimates), and also at Lakhra, Sonda, Sor Range, Khost and the Salt Range.
- Quality: most is lignite and sub-bituminous coal, low quality (high in ash and sulphur, and low in heat value), and so it is used for brick kilns, cement and power. The Thar coal field has been developed for power since 2019.
- Imports: high-quality coal (such as coking coal for steel, and coal for cement and some power stations) is imported, mostly from South Africa, Afghanistan, Indonesia and Australia.
- Transport: by rail and road (trucks) in Pakistan; imported coal comes to Karachi and Port Qasim by sea and is moved inland by rail.
- Reserves life: Thar reserves are large (hundreds of years at present use), but the other fields are small.
Types of coal (best to worst): anthracite (hardest, highest carbon, burns with great heat), bituminous (including coking coal used to make coke for steel), lignite (soft, damp, high in ash, low heating value) and peat (the first stage of coal formation). Pakistan has mostly lignite and some sub-bituminous coal.
Moving coal to users. In the mines it is brought out on trolleys (and by animals in small mines), then taken by truck to brick kilns and cement factories, which use most of the coal produced, or by rail to power stations where this is cheaper. Imported coal arrives at Karachi and Port Qasim and goes inland by rail.
Natural gas
- The main field is Sui in Balochistan (discovered in 1952); others include Mari, Qadirpur, Uch, Kandhkot, Pirkoh (Balochistan) and Meyal and Dhurnal (Potwar). Gas is found above the oil in rock beneath a layer of non-porous rock. Gas is Pakistan's most important fuel (for homes, fertiliser factories, industry and power).
- Reserves are falling: production no longer meets demand, and, at current rates, reserves will last only a few decades (the figure depends on the source).
- Pipelines: a network of pipelines carries gas to Karachi, the Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa cities (the grid is operated by SNGPL and SSGC).
- Areas away from the pipelines: gas is supplied as LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) in cylinders or CNG (compressed natural gas) for vehicles. Limitations: it is more expensive, requires transport by road, is less convenient, and carries safety risks. LNG (liquefied natural gas) is also imported.
Oil
- Pakistan produces only a small part (roughly 15–20%) of its needs from fields such as Potwar, Badin (Sindh) and Dhulian. Reserves are small.
- Imports: the rest is imported (mostly crude oil and refined products from Saudi Arabia and the UAE), because demand is large (for transport, power and industry), and local production is small. Oil imports are a large part of the import bill.
- Pipelines: an oil pipeline runs from Karachi to Mahmood Kot and on to the Punjab (Machike, near Lahore).
- Refining: crude oil must be refined into petrol, diesel, kerosene, furnace oil, wax and chemicals. It is cheaper to import crude and refine it at home. Main refineries include Attock Refinery (Rawalpindi), National Refinery and Pakistan Refinery (Karachi), and the Pak-Arab Refinery (PARCO), whose pipeline runs from Karachi (Port Qasim) to Mahmood Kot and on towards the north, where most consumption lies. A newer white-oil pipeline carries refined products inland.
- Imported oil is unloaded from tankers at an oil pier at Keamari or Port Qasim and pumped to storage tanks. Pipelines are the cheapest, safest and cleanest way to move oil inland; road and rail tankers are slower, dearer and damage roads, but reach places the pipeline does not.
- Other methods: oil tankers by sea to Karachi, and then rail tankers and road tankers to other areas.
Thermal power stations
Electricity can be generated in thermal power stations by burning coal, oil, gas or waste to make steam that turns turbines, or with nuclear energy (for example at Chashma and KANUPP, Karachi). KANUPP (Karachi Nuclear Power Plant, about 137 MW) started in 1971, and the first Chashma plant (built with Chinese help) began working at the end of the 1990s. Oil and gas together supply most of Pakistan's primary energy, and most electricity comes from thermal stations, with a quarter or so from hydel. Problem: non-renewable fuels are running out and are increasing in price, especially oil.
Renewable power resources
Advantages and disadvantages
| Source | Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|---|
| Hydel | cheap to run, no fuel, no air pollution, dams also give irrigation and flood control | very expensive to build; flooding of land and displacement of people; silting; depends on rainfall and snowmelt; far from users |
| Wind | free and clean, can be used in remote areas | needs strong, steady wind (the Gharo–Jhimpir corridor in Sindh is the best site); not reliable; noisy and uses much land |
| Solar | abundant sunshine; clean; good for remote areas and small scale (Quaid-e-Azam Solar Park, Bahawalpur); falling costs | high set-up cost; only works in daylight; needs storage; needs large areas |
| Wave, tidal, geothermal, biofuel | clean or use waste | expensive, small scale, little used in Pakistan |
Biogas. Animal dung and plant waste ferment in a tank to give methane, used for cooking and light. It is cheap and good for villages, but the dung can then no longer be used as manure, and methane is a greenhouse gas if it leaks.
Multi-purpose hydel schemes
Conditions that favour a multi-purpose dam (irrigation, power, flood control, water supply):
- Physical: a river with a large and steady flow, high rainfall or snowmelt, a steep, narrow valley (to store much water with a short dam), a strong rock foundation, and low risk of earthquakes.
- Human: sparse population in the reservoir area (little to move), money and technology, demand for electricity and irrigation, government support, and good access for building.
Examples: Tarbela, Mangla, Warsak and Ghazi Barotha.
Factors that help or hinder the supply of electricity
| Promote | Hinder |
|---|---|
| rivers and mountains (hydel); sunshine and wind in parts | lack of money to build and maintain power stations |
| government policy and foreign investment | line losses and electricity theft (the "kunda" system), old equipment |
| coal in Thar; gas fields | circular debt (unpaid bills between the power companies) and expensive fuel imports |
| small-scale systems: micro-hydel schemes in mountain valleys, solar panels and biogas in villages | difficult terrain and scattered villages (it is costly to extend the grid), and security problems |
Why is the supply of electricity not sufficient or reliable?
Demand is growing quickly with population and industry; power stations are not built fast enough; fuel is imported and costly; transmission and distribution lose much power; theft and unpaid bills drain the system; droughts reduce hydel output; and some areas (rural and mountain) are not connected. The result is load-shedding (planned power cuts), which harms industry, jobs, farming and daily life.