Entire country to benefit from Thar coal power plant: Bilawal

THARPARKAR: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Wednesday termed the Thar coal power plant a "pride for all of Pakistan" and said the entire country would benefit from the electricity generated by the plant. 

Addressing a ceremony after inaugurating the 660 megawatts coal power project in Thar, Bilawal said it was the country's "most successful project" and that his mother, the late Benazir Bhutto, had dreamed of providing electricity to Pakistan with Thar's coal.

"This is Pakistan's most successful project. This is naya Thar. This is naya Pakistan," the PPP leader said.

"This is what is called 'good governance'. This is what you call a 'mega project'," he continued, adding, "Others only talked. PPP actually delivered." 

Bilawal said he was proud to have inaugurated a project that his mother had laid foundation for. He told the audience that it was the late prime minister who had first introduced the concept of public-private partnership in her 1993 manifesto.

He announced that the Sindh government will provide free electricity to the residents of Islamkot and Thar once the project starts generating electricity. 

Bilawal further announced a campus of NED University of Engineering and Technology would be set up in Thar.

"I also want that Thar gets its own university. I want an NED University campus in Thar," he said while directing the concerned authorities to establish the campus in the area soon. 

Sindh chief minister Murad Ali Shah and PPP leaders as well as Sindh cabinet members were in attendance at the inauguration ceremony. 

"I just inaugurated Thar coal power plant. The highest man made structure in Pakistan," Bilawal tweeted earlier today.

The Thar coal power project has a capacity to generate 660 megawatts and consists of two power generation units of 330MW each.

The project was completed under CPEC flagship public-private partnership of Sindh government in 10 years. The Sindh government has given the sovereign guarantee of $700 million for this project.

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leader and former planning minister Ahsan Iqbal congratulated Bilawal for inaugurating the project and said, "Thar Coal project demonstrates the power of collaboration. PML-N federal govt, PPP Sindh govt & Engro - private sector worked as a team to make this CPEC dream come true."