ISLAMABAD, Oct 11(ABC): Federal Minister for Electricity Khurram Dastagir on Tuesday vowed that the rates of electricity would be reduced gradually.
Addressing the press conference, Khurram Dastagir said that the electricity generated from the Thar Coal Power Project is a gift to the people. He also stated that Tharcoal will generate 1320 MW in December and 2640 MW by summer next year.The federal minister said that the coal available from the world at the price of $400 per ton will be available from Thar at the rate of $40 dollars per ton.
Stating that other industries, including gas and cement, would also benefit from Thar coal power, Dastagir said furnace oil-fired power plants were shut down due to falling oil prices, dollar appreciation and reduced power demand.
The Federal Minister further said that according to preliminary estimates, Thar has 175 billion tonnes of coal reserves and it has been divided into 13 blocks, while mining has been started in two blocks. Dastagir praised the bigwigs of PML-N and PPP, saying Tharparkar will be included in the list of developed places with the joint efforts of Nawaz Sharif and Asif Ali Zardari.
Stating that cheap fuel exists in Thar, Khurram Dastagir said that through maximum utilization it can be used in all industries including cement, fertilizer and production of natural gas and diesel.
Talking about giving relief to the people, Dastagir said that the government is making all-out efforts to give relief to the people in connection with the provision of electricity facilities. The federal minister said that the fuel price adjustment in the month of June was Rs9.89 which was included in the August bill, the fuel price adjustment for the current month will be only Rs0.22.
