2010RESESOURCES OF PAKISTAN

COAL

JAWAD BASHIR
2010
COAL RESESOURCES BAHRIA (GEOLOGY)
11/10/2010

OF PAKISTAN
A complete guide to coal resources of Pakistan

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

TOPIC
Page#
1. Formation Of
Coal……………………………………………….3
2. Coal Reserves Of
Pakistan……………………………………4
3. Coal Reserves in different provinces of
Pakistan….5
4. Sindh Coal
Reserves…………………………………………….5
5. Balouchistan Coal
Reserves…………………………………9
6. Punjab Coal
Reserves…………………………………………..11

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7. N.W.F.P Coal
Reserves…………………………………………13
8. Kashmir Coal

Reserves…………………………………………14
9.Conclusion………………………………………………
…………..16
10.References………………………………………..
………..........17

Coal is a readily combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock normally

occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The
harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock
because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure. Coal is composed
primarily of carbon along with variable quantities of other elements, chiefly sulfur,
hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen

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FORMATION OF COAL
Coal is called a fossil fuel because it was formed from the remains of vegetation
that grew as long as 400 million years ago. It is often referred to as "buried
sunshine," because the plants which formed coal captured energy from the sun
through photosynthesis to create the compounds that make up plant tissues. The
most important element in the plant material is carbon, which gives coal most of its
energy.
Most of our coal was formed about 300 million years ago, when much of the earth
was covered by steamy swamps. As plants and trees died, their remains sank to the
bottom of the swampy areas, accumulating layer upon layer and eventually forming
a soggy, dense material called peat.
Peat exposed to heat and pressure from burial beneath other sediments becomes
compressed and chemicaly changes into low grade coals such as lignite, and under
further heat and pressure is converted to higher grade coals. The pressure from
overlying sediments that bury a peat bed will compact the coal. Peats transform to
low grade lignites when they are compressed to about 20% of their original
thickness. Lignite typicaly transforms to bituminous coal as it is compressed
further and heated to between 100 and 200°C. This drives much of the water and
other volitiles from the coal. Longer exposure to elevated temperature will further
drive volatiles from the coal, and drive chemical reactions that produce Anthracite.
Anthracite coals are typicaly compressed to 5-10% of the orginal thickness of the
peat bed, and contain less than 10% water and other volatiles. Coal is often found
in beds a meter or more in thickness that are widespread in extent. These are often

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mined to extract the coal for use as a fossil fuel.

COAL RESERVES OF PAKISTAN

Pakistan is a coal-rich country, but, unfortunately, coal has not been developed for
more than three decades due to lack of infrastructure, insufficient financing and
absence of modern coal mining technical expertise. The Government has now
determined to facilitate private investors to promote investment in coal
development and coal power generation. Unavailability of reliable coal is the main
obstacle to significant progress in coal power generation. The Federal Government
and Provincial Governments, however, are continuously tryingto facilitate private
investors in developing and promoting indigenous coal for power generation. Coal is
a cheapindigenous energy resource and, after the discovery of 175.5 billion tonnes
of coal in Thar area of Sindh, Pakistan’s coal power potential has increased
manifold. It is anticipated that, if properly exploited, Pakistan’s coal resources may
generate more than 100,000 MW of electricity for the next 30 years.

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There are vast resources of coal in all four of Pakistan’s provinces and in Azad
Jammu & Kashmir. According to rough estimates, the total coal reserves of Pakistan
are more than 185billion tonnes. Coal reserves, together with heating values (as on
received basis), of all the four Provinces and Azad Kashmir are given here below.

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COAL RESERVES IN DIFFERENT PROVINCES

OF PAKISTAN
The presence of coal deposits in Pakistan was known before independence, but its
economic value
was highlighted in 1980 when large reserves of coal were discovered in the Lakhra
and Sonda
areas of Sindh Province. The discovery of another huge coal deposit of 175.5 billion
tonnes in an
area of 10,000 sq. km in Tharparkar District of Sindh has provided a quantum
increase in the coal
resources of Pakistan. After this discovery, Pakistan is now the 6th richest nation of
the world in
respect of coal resources. Pakistan did not appear even on the list of coal-rich
countries before the
discovery of Thar Coal. Coal resources available to Pakistan exist in all four
provinces and in AJK.
The total coal reserves are estimated at 185.5 billion tones.

SINDH COAL RESERVES

The Province of Sindh is located in the south of Pakistan. Coal was discovered in
Sindh in 1853 when Baloch nomads reportedly struck a coal seam 2.43 meters thick
at a depth of 125 meters by sinking a well for water at Lakhra, a village on the
western bank of the River Indus in district Dadu. Burmah Oil Company in 1948, and
Pak Hunt International in 1953, recorded the presence of coal at Lakhra in holes
drilled in search of oil. The Habibullah Mines Ltd. started commercial mining of coal
in Lakhra in 1959. Sonda coal was discovered in 1980 and Thar coal in 1992 by GSP.

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The total coal resources of Sindh have been estimated to 184.6 billion tonnes
whereas the coal deposits of Thar alone are estimated at 175.5 billion tonnes, which
can ideally be utilized for power generation. In addition to Thar, the other coalfields
of Sindh are at Lakhra, Sonda, Jherruck and Indus East (Map 2). The Lakhra coalfield
is fully developed, and contains mineable coal reserves of 146 million tonnes. Sindh
coal is classified as ‘Lignite’ with calorific value ranging from 5,219 to 13,555 Btu/lb.
Thar coal has low sulfur and low ash content but high moisture, whereas Lakhra
coal contains high sulfur. The feasibility study conducted by John T. Boyd & Co. of
USA has confirmed mineability and suitability of Lakhra coal for power generation.
The feasibility study of Thar coal is yet to be completed to confirm its mineability
and suitability for large scale power generation. The Sonda coalfield, including Indus
East, is the second largest coalfield of Sindh.

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THAR COAL
The Thar coalfield is located in the south-eastern part of Sindh. The first indication
of the presence of coal beneath the sands of the Thar Desert was reported while
drilling water wells by the British Overseas Development Agency (ODA) in
coordination with the Sindh Arid Zone Development Authority (SAZDA), in 1991. The
Thar coalfield, with a resource potential of 175.5 million tones of coal, covers an
area of 9000 sq. km. in the Tharparkar Desert. The mineable coal reserves are
estimated to be 1,620 million tonnes. The coal-bearing area is covered by stable
sand dunes. In order to establish the coal resources in the selected four blocks (Map
3), a total of 167 holes were drilled at one kilometer spacing. Coal resources of the
four blocks are estimated at 9,629 million tones

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The number of coal seams varies from hole to hole, and a maximum of 20 seams
have been logged in some of the drill holes. The thickness of coal seams varies from
0.2 to 22.8 meters, whereas the cumulative coal thickness in one of the drill holes is
36 meters. Clay-stone and loose sand beds form the roof as well as the floor rock of
coal seams. The thickness of overburden varies from 112 to 203 meters.Below table
will show the quality and quantity of tahr coal reserves

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Quality of Thar Coal Reserves Quantity of Thar Coal

Reserves(Million Tones)

LAKHRA COAL

After the first discovery of coal in 1853, as aforesaid, many geological investigations
have been conducted in the Lakhra area by national and international organizations
Interests in large-scale exploration of coal for power generation began to develop in
the early 1960s when GSP and USGS performed a systematic geological
investigation of the area. WPIDC’s tests found Lakhra coal unsuited for hard coke
production, but suitable for power generation. In 1996, WPIDC engaged a Polish firm
to undertake a mining and power generation feasibility study on Lakhra coal. In
1978, JICA carried out additional technical, financial and economical feasibility
studies. In 1981, JICA reported positive results and concluded that a 300 MW plant
was technically feasible, but estimated the coal
production cost to be very high. Then GOP asked USAID to review all studies on
Lakhra and make recommendations on the technical and economical feasibility of a
coal-fired power station. USAID completed its Lakhra feasibility study by 1986 and
confirmed JICA’s appraisal, but proposed changes in design of the plant lowering the
estimated cost. The USAID feasibility study concluded that a Lakhra coal mine,
supplying coal for a 2 x 250 MW units power plant, was technically sound and
socially and environmentally feasible.

The Lakhra coalfield is connected by road through the Indus Highway and a rail
track is also available near Khanot, which is also located on the Indus Highway. The
Lakhra coalfield is at a distance of 50 km. from Hyderabad and 175 km. from
Karachi. Significant coal beds are Dhanwari, Lailian and Kath. The Lailian seam,
persistent through out the area, is 3 meters thick. However, the overall average
thickness of the Lakhra coal seam is 1.5 meter. The over burden of the first
mineable coal seam ranges from 50 to 150 meters.

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The Lakhra coal field is doubly plunging anticline, known as the Lakhra Anticline. Its
axis runs in a north-easterly direction. The folding is gentle and the strata dips at 7
degrees. A group of faults parallel to the anticline axis and dipping 70 to 80
degrees, with a small down-throw, exist in the coalfield area. The total coal
resources of Lakhra are estimated at 1,328 million tonnes, of which 146 million
tonnes is considered mineable. The coal reserves and chemical analysis of coal
samples (dry basis) are

COAL QUALITY COAL

QUANTITY(MILLION TONS)

SONDA JHERRUK COAL

The Sond-Jherruk Coalfield includes Indus East, and was discovered by GSP/USGS in
1981. During 1989 to 1986 GSP drilled 80 holes in the area, which covers an area of
1500 sq. km. The drilling data indicates that the coal bed is about 6.2 meters thick
and the over burden is about 120 meters at the first mineable seam. The total coal
reserves are estimated to be 7,773 million tonnes, of which 147 million tonnes is
considered as mineable. The feasibility study of Sonda coal is yet to be initiated.
The coal reserves and chemical analysis of coal samples are

QUALITY OF COAL
QUANTITY OF COAL

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BALOUCHISTAN COAL RESERVES

There are number of coalfields in Balochistan. However, the major coalfields are
Sor-Range/Degari,
Khost/Sharigh/Harnai/Ziarat, Mach and Duki (Map 4). The total coal reserves are
about 217 million
tonnes, of which 32 million tonnes are considered mineable. The thickness of coal
seams ranges
from 0.3 to 2.3 meters. Balochistan coal is classified as sub-bituminous to
bituminous and the
heating value ranges from 9,637 to 15,499 Btu/lb. It has low ash and high sulfur
coal, and is
considered suitable for power generation. Small power plants up to 25 MW can be
set up in each
coalfield.

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SOR-RANGE AND DEGARI COAL

The Sor-Range and Degari coalfields are located about 12 km south of Quetta city,
and extend south-east for a distance of 26 km, covering an area of about 50 sq. km.
The northern half of the field is known as Sor-Range, and the southern as Degari.
Quetta is the nearest railhead for the Sor- Range mines and Spezand for the Degari
mines. This is one of the largest coal-producing fields of Balochistan. The coalfield is
approachable by a metalled road which encircles the entire coalfield joining the
Quetta-Sibi highway near Spezand. The coal-bearing area is a doubly plunging
symmetrical syncline. The coal seams generally dip at angles of 45 to 50 degrees.
The coalfield lies in an arid to semi-arid region with extreme temperature changes.
It experiences heavy snowfall and rain during winter, but little rain during summer.
The thickness of the coal-bed ranges from 0.3 m to 1.3 m. The total coal reserves
are estimated at 50 million tonnes. The coal is subbituminous in quality and is
considered suitable for power generation. Small power plants up to 25 MW can be
setup in each Sor-Range and Degari coalfield. The coal reserves and coal quality
analysis is given below.

Quality Of Coal Quantity Of

Coal

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KHOST AND SHARIGH COALS

Khost, Sharigh and Harnai coalfields cover an area of 200 sq. km in the Sibi the District of Balochistan. It is located
at a distance of 160 km to the East and NorthEast of Quetta. The Sibi-Khost extension of Pakistan Railway runs
along the coalfields. The coalfields are also connected by an unmetalled road. The coal is of Bituminous to Sub-
bituminous quality. Coal beds are generally thin, ranging from 0.3 meter to 2.3 meters in thickness and dipping at 60
degrees. The coal is considered suitable for power generation. Small power plants up to 50 MW can be set up, based
on coal produced from these three small coalfields. The coal reserves and coal quality analysis is

COAL QUALITY COAL QUANTITY

PUNJAB COAL RESERVES

The main coalfields of Punjab are in the Salt-Range and at Makarwal (Map 5). The total coal
resources are estimated at 235 million tonnes, of which 33 million tonnes are mineable. Punjab
coal is classified as Sub-bituminous, and the heating value ranges from 9,472 to 15,801 Btu/lb.
It has low ash and high sulfur, and is considered suitable for power generation. Below given is the
Map of coal reserves pf Punjab

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SALT RANGE COAL FIELDS

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The Salt-Range coalfield covers an area of about 260 sq. km between Khushab,
Dandot and Khewra in the Sargodha and Jhelum Districts of Punjab. The total
reserves of the Salt-Range coal are approximately 213 million tonnes, of which 30
million tonnes are mineable. There are more than two coal seams present in the
Salt-Range but, in most cases, only one is mineable which varies in thickness from
0.3 m to 1.5 m with an average thickness of 0.75 m. Small power plants of up to 80
MW can be set up, based on Salt-Range coal. The coal quality is Sub-bituminous and
is suitable for power generation. The coal reserves and analysis of coal samples is

COAL QUALITY
COAL QUANTITY

MAKARWAL COAL

The Makarwal coalfield is located in the Mianwali District of Punjab. It covers an area
of about 75 km, situated near Makarwal town and 13 km west of Kalabagh. The
Makarwal coalfield is connected with the Mari Indus- Bannu narrow gauge railway
line. The coal occurs in the steeply dipping Hangu Formation and the thickness of its
bed ranges from 0.5 to 2.0 m. The coal resources have been reported to about 22
million tonnes and its quality is reported to be Sub-bituminous. The coal reserves
and analysis of coal samples is

COAL QUALITY COAL QUANTITY

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KHYBER PAKHTON KHAN PROVINCE(Former

N.W.F.P)
The coalfields of NWFP are not yet fully explored. Its coal deposits are located in two areas,
namely Hangu and Cherat (Map 6). The coal resources of Hangu and Cherat are estimated to be
91 million tonnes. The coal is classified as Sub-bituminous and its heating value ranges from 9,386
to 14,217 Btu/lb. It has low sulfur and low ash. The coal beds in Hangu area are up to 3.5 m thick
whereas the coal beds in Cherat area are generally less than one meter in thickness. The coal
reserves and analysis of coal samples is

COAL QUALITY COAL

QUANTITY

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AZAD JAMMU AND KASHMIR AREAS

The AJK coalfield is located near Kotli about 80 km south-east of Islamabad (Map 7). One or
two
coal beds occur in the steeply dipping Patala Formation. The coal beds have an average
thickness
of 0.6 m. The total coal resources of AJK are estimated at 0.06 million tonnes. The coal is
classified
as Sub-bituminous and the heating value ranges from 7,336 to 12,338 Btu/lb. The coal
reserves
and analysis of coal samples is

COAL QUALITY COAL QUANTITY

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CONCULUSION

Pakistan is flooded with many natural resources specially with coal. lot of
coal reserves are found throughout Pakistan coal reserves have sufficient
energy values to support power generation on large scale, other industries
associated with the coal Mining like cement and Gas industry are also have
grooming prospect in coming years, the need is to provide a better
management plan to our coal industry, so we can meet the challenge of
upcoming industrial age.

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REFRENCES
http://www.gsp.gov.pk/resources/seminars2.htm

http://www.dawn.com/2004/09/20/ebr10.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pakistan_Coal_Mines
_and_Resources

http://www.sindhmines.gov.pk/pdf/Thar%20Coal
%20Resources-brochure.pdf

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