ISLAMABAD – The Senate Standing Committee on Planning, Development and Reforms was informed here on Monday that by 2025, as many as 14 power plants based on Thar Coal would be producing 6000 MW electricity in the country, Senate Standing Committee on Planning, Development and Reforms was informed on Monday.

Briefing the committee on Keti Bundar project, Special Secretary energy department of the ministry, Rashid Hussain Qazi informed that four power plants based on Thar Coal would also be constructed at Keti Bundar site for which feasibility study was under way.

The meeting was held here under the Chairmanship of Senator Col (retd) Syed Tahir Hussain Mashhadi, which was attended by among others Senators Mohsin Aziz, Karim Ahmed Khawaja, Agha Shahzaib Khan Durrani, and Nawabzada Saifullah Magsi.

The meeting was informed that the feasibility on the Keti Bundar project would be finalized by January, 2018.

Rashid said the components of the study would include strategic environmental social impact assessment, 1320 MW power general based on Thar Coal (potential of 10,000 MW), power evacuation requiement, railway line from Thar Coal field (Islamkot) to Keti Bundar, construction of Coal Jetti, and related infrastructure.

He said to transport coal from the Thar coal field to Keti Bundur, a 341 kilometer long Railway Line would be constructed.

The meeting was informed that the project was a part of the multi-billion dollar China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and it is hoped that by 2025, the project would be on ground.

On another agenda of Quetta Mass Transit Project, the meeting was informed that the project was included in the CPEC in 6th Joint Coordination Committee on CPEC held in Beijing last year.

The meeting was further informed that the preliminary agreement has already been signed between Government of Balochistan and China Communication Construction Company (CCCC).

However, framework agreement on the project is yet to be signed while the Balochistan Government is planning to conduct feasibility exploring of option of both light rail and bus.

According to proposed track of the project, a 48.5 kilometer broad gauge track would be reconstructed. Single track would be constructed from Spenzand to Sariab while a double track would be constructed from Sariab to Kuchlak.