Power resources

Power can be obtained from many resources

which classified to renewable and non-
renewable resourses
 Non-renewable resources

Coal is non-renewable fossil fuel power resource that is of immense value as a

power resource. But in Pakistan the coal found is the low quality lignite which Is
found near the surface and produces less carbon product and is more ashy and
produces more sulphur content which is not so efficient. Due to this pakistan has
to import the coal from other countries like Australia and south africa where they
import high quality anthracite and sub-bitmious which is the coaking coal [coke is
a hard substance which contains pure carbon used in iron and steel industry].
Coal is used In many industrial processes of fertiilizers and cement as well as for
domestic heating in mountanious areas specialy by local people the highest
consumption of coal by a industry is of brick klin. It is mined from the fields
located in Tharpak lower sindh, potwar plateau and Sor range balochisatan by
method of adit and shaft mining and then transported into trolles and trucks
which get it outside the coal seams and the further transported by rail.
Continued…..
Despite the encouraging field of coal that are found in thar desert of almost 100000Mw
and it being much cheaper than oil, Pakistan doesn’t operates much thermal power
stations that uses coal as a resource as it is hard to transport as well as expensive and the
disposal of heaps cause by it is hard to mange and can create many environmental issues
such as causing pollution in near by rivers and eventually sea-water pollution.

oil: it is a fossil fuel that is deep down the earth surface under the sedimentary rocks and
traped inside the porous [ which are rocks that are spongy and has gaps in between them
and can soak water] and non-porous rocks [ hard and water can’t get through them] and
occurs in dome shaped anticlines.The oil is then obtained through the derrick supports the
attached oil rig and pipes that pump the oil from major oil fields and then transported to
the refineries. The derrick is dismantled after oil has been found and the drilling rig is
replaced by the valves that control it’s flow. The whole process requires a lot of investment
and capital. The main oil fields in pakistan are the region of potwar plateau; tut, meyal and
at lower sindh thar desert areas. The crude oil is the oil’s raw state and this can’t be further
processed into petroleum products before it is refined the refineries are located whether
near the fields e.g attock oil refinery at morga, potwar plateau.
Or the refineries are located at the port e.g. the national oil
refinery and pakistan refinery in the populated city of karachi
and the markets of urban areas so that it is easily transported to
the users. After refining the oil is further processed into the
petroleum products of diesel, petrol for vehicals and buses use,
to generate power in thermal power stations, for heating, as a
lubricant and other by-products like wax , plastics,
pharmaceutical product. Pakistan have to import the oil from the
countries of middle east because of the small resources
available, high cost of exploring and extracting, less investment,
high demand of vehicals due to increasing population and to
fulfill 25% of the need.
There disadvantages of importing oil Limited international transport links for
importing minerals (e.g. few road border crossings with Afghanistan / Iran /
China / India) (e.g. Karachi Port too congested) (e.g. Gwadar Port not fully
developed); Air / water pollution from international transport (e.g. oil spillage
at Karachibeach).
Oil transportation is done through sea an land both, by sea it is much cheaper
and is transported in special ships called oil tankers at port Qasim, Karachi,
the oil is then transferred to the companies/refineries by pumping from the
oil tankers to the oil handling system in oil pier. Through land it is whether
transported by pipes or by the road and rail ranker on road. Through road and
rail it is more slower, costly and less effective as well as not environmental
friendly as it causes the destruction of the road and danger to human lives.
Pakistan Pak Arab Refinery Company [parco] launched a white pipe line
system which was convenient and environmental friendly and cheaper. The
refined products from karachi was exported to upper country but by this
pipeline the refined products from qasim port to the mahmood kot in district
muzzaffargarh to further central, northern regions. This creates employment
opportunities and make a cheaper better way to increase the production of
industries. Pakistan state oil company [PSO] and Oil & gas development
cooperation [OGDC] are some organizations
Can Pakistan rely on fossil fuels?
-in favour: the long reserves of coal In Tharpak and oil in potwar plateau can
be utlized and used
-coal is the cheaper source/ gas is cheaper/ sui resevers
-can build more power stations of coal/ gasification of coal
-against: it is exhaustable
-non-renewable
-large capital to extract/import
-reserves need investment
-oil and gas can remove Pakistan’s energy crisis but are expensive
-causes environmental damage
-will increase dependence on the investment
Explain the importance of the White Pipeline, and other pipelines
to the development of Pakistan.
White Pipeline will carry refined oil / frees existing pipeline for crude oil –
Reduce rail / road transport
Cheaper method of transport (than tanker / rail transport)
Faster method of transport (than tanker)
To meet (increasing) demand for oil
Will increase industrialisation / employment / economic prosperity / living
standards /
attracts investment (in inland areas)
natural gas: it is a fuel that is found where the oil is found in the
between oil-bearing rocks in porous rocks and the non-porous rocks alike oil
traps the gas to leak, it is made up of methane, propane, ethane and butanes
in 1952 the largest gas supply in balochistan was discovered. To transport it
two pipelines one at karachi and other at multan was made from sui and was
further extended to north however, large areas are not served by the pipeline
and two branches are lined to the west, it can also be transported in cylinders
in form of LPG which can often be hazardousIt, is more expensive to transport
gas by road rather than by pipeline so less income will be earned and Supply
is not continuous for instance roads blocked in winter . Natural gas is used as
a power resource and in gas fried power stations, as a raw material for
fertilizer industry and as CNG in vehical , in cement industry and domestically
for cooking in homes as it is cheaper, easy to use and is preffered overall due
to it being easily lifted, the reserves of balochistan are plenty, easy to extract,
less investment needed to drill comes to the surface easily and doesn’t need
to be imported
nuclear power: energy crisis as it produces 3 million times more energy
than the other fossil fuel, the hazzardious accidents produced by it are less than other
power stations, the energy canit is the most powerful source of generating power and it
takes place when atomic fission takes place where the energy is released when the atoms
and splitting, this is used in the thermal power stations where the heat produced is to make
steam due to which the turbines turn and produces electricity much in the similar way as
the fossil fuel. Pakistan is utilizing uranium through two main nuclear power stations one the
karachi nuclear power station and the other chashma nuclear power stations constructed
together with the cooperation with china uranium development can remove the pakistan’s
produced fast because of this and can cause less loadshedding and more productivity.
However, it can be very expensive as pakistan doesn’t have domestically produced uranium
and had to import it, there is an absence of the skilled labour who are needed to run a
nuclear plant thus, need to take forgein assistance. There are also many environmental
issues caused by this as it leds to the dangerous rays to be produced that can harm people
e.g. cause cancer, the damage of radioactive rays is irreversable, thus the use of renewable
resources is much better
the thermal power stations are stations that generate electricity by burning of the fossil
fuel in the boiler, the heat produced by it turns the water that is entering through a tunnel,
into steam. That steam then turns on the turbine to generate electricity in the generator.
That energy is transferred into the transformer which controls the voltage and transfers the
electricity through transmission lines which then supply it to the users through national grid
system.
Explain why burning fossil fuels in power stations is
unsustainable. [4]
Releases carbon dioxide/contributes to global warming/climate
change
Will exhaust/run out eventually/non-renewable/cannot be
replaced
Having to be extracted from increasingly
inaccessible/inhospitable places, e.g. Arctic/
deep sea
Named environmental damage other than air pollution, e.g. oil
spills from tankers/
pipelines
Becoming expensive
Production/prices controlled by cartels, e.g. OPEC
Many countries, e.g. Pakistan, have few deposits and have to
import
Advantages of producing electricity from nuclear power

• Boosts economy;
• • Can bridge the gap with energy shortages / deficiencies in oil and gas;
• • Can be used near the coast to provide energy to nearby industries;
• • Assists development;
• • Provides jobs;
• • A small quantity of uranium can generate a large amount of energy;
• • Less than half kg of uranium contains 3 million more times energy than
• the same weight of coal;
• • The chances of accidents in nuclear power stations is low / there have
• been fewer accidents in nuclear power stations than any other kind of
• power station;
• • Nuclear power can help speed up the process of industrialisation;
• • Nuclear power contributes less to the greenhouse effect and acid rain
• compared to fossil fuels;
 Disadvantages
• • Expensive to build so may have to borrow money or seek investment
• from other countries / economic burden;
• It is also unsustainlble as it can exhaust.
• • Will take up valuable land space needed for more important
• development projects / or example;
• • Renewable energy schemes such as solar energy / wind power are
• more appropriate;
• • Have many coal reserves that can still be exploited;
• • Only provides jobs in the short term whilst building them;
• • Probably built in other countries so negative multiplier effect;
• • Fuel rods in reactors produce dangerous rays which are cancer
• causing;
• • Nuclear waste remains radioactive for many years; [ e.g the Fukushima
incident caused by nuclear power use]
• • Finding suitable locations for storing radioactive waste is a problem
To what extent is further development of the natural gas industry possible in Pakistan? Give reasons to support your
judgement. You should consider different points of view in your answer. [6]

• Possibilities
• • More pipelines and gas fired thermal power stations could be set up;
• • Potential for more gas fields to be found;
• • Pipeline could be extended further to areas currently not served;
• • Pipeline could be over-ground, doesn’t have to be underground;
• • If more gas fired thermal power stations are built, Pakistan could reduce
• imports of oil and coal;
• • Finding more gas reserves would increase the domestic supply and
• increase the number of potential years use;
• • Improve the lives of people in remote rural areas / provide employment
• opportunities;
• Etc.
• Difficulties
• • Financial constraints / loans may have to be taken out;
• • Topography and / or climate may hinder or make difficult the building of
• more pipelines or further exploration;
• • Cost of exploration and / or building thermal power stations will not be
• value for money / cost effective;
• • Industries would not be built in these areas anyway as remote / not
• ideal locations for building further industry;
 Renewable alternative energy
resources
• There is a need to solve the energy crisis of pakistan’s electricity and the non-renewable
resources are limited and can’t be exported for agriculture, domestic and industrial uses as
it will be a burden to the economy so as a alternative the renewable energy resources can
be used which are naturally available e.g. sunlight, wind power, hydel power ,geothermal
power and biomass.

• HEP: hydro electric power uses the flow of water to turn on the hydro-
turbine and to generate electricity. This is a natural source of producing
electricity and doesn’t have much running cost unlike thermal power stations.
However high amount and flow of water is required for the generating of these
HEP stations. These also have to be build near the dams where water is in large
amount and the hilly regions where the supply of water can be regulated
through the glaciers and heavy rain and snowfall, and impervious rocks avoids
the soaking of water. Uses the force of flowing water to spin the turbines;
• The turbine in turn causes the shaft to spin rapidly inside a magnetic field in
the generator; The generator creates electricity; The electric current is
regulated by the transformer; Electricity is sent through the power line to
where it is needed
HEP is referred to as white coal; (because it doesn’t have to burn
anything/ is environmentally friendly); and would not exhaust
due to there long run and is cheaper as the raw material only
water but have expensive initial cost of construction unlike
thermal power stations, a lot of land needs to be cleared for
building of dams. Where as the thermal power stations don’t
need any climatic conditions and can be developed where ever
the fossil fuels are available and don’t have much initial cost but
a lot of running cost as often the fossil fuels need to be
imported. It also causes pollution through burning. The
electricity produced in thermal power stations is very
costly due to high imported raw material and the power theft
causes a rise in cost of electricity being produced. Government
often have to buy energy from private power stations which is
costly there is also less capacity of the stations so the load is
more due to the demand
There are many possibilities of producing electricity through hydro
electric power by operating small hydro power projects which will be more
cheaper and faster and chosing differnet sites especially in the hilly northern
regions which have a lot of potential. A number of sites can be chosen like the
large dams of mangla, tarbela, warsak. However the are also many
disadvantages and unreliblity of the electricity caused by HEP stations as the
change in weather conditions like less rainfall and cold temperature that decrease
the flow of water, will cause into the less electricity produced. HEP is really
important to the hilly regions as it is cheaper and there is no dependance on
the import of raw material due to this Hep is mostly produced in hilly regions and it
is hard to supply produced electricity to the highly populated regions. There is a
long distance and due to the difficult terrain of north the construction of poles and
transmission lines is hard and expensive. Often the electricity is lost due to the
transmission lines and due to theft.
Solar energy: it is the energy produced by the sun’s rays which heats up the
water in solar panels to produce stream the turns on the turbine then the
electrical current is stored into batteries. It can be installed where the sunlight is in
large amount. Pakistan is an a semi-arid country which has many sunny days
especially in lower singh regions which is nearer to the equator. The hot rural areas
are best for installing of these solar panels and can contribute to the rural
electrification. However in pakistan solar energy is in it’s experimental stage.
Explain how the climate causes problems in developing hydel
power in Pakistan. You should develop your answer? [4]
• Some areas have less rainfall e.g. Gilgit and Chitral (e.g. cannot
generate electricity if not enough water);
• Rain shadow areas;
• More precipitation in highland areas (e.g. where most dams are
located);
• Less rainfall in winter / more snow / stored as snow and / or ice in
mountains;
• Less rainfall means less water in rivers (e.g. so more difficult to
generate electricity);
• Rainfall not evenly spread throughout Pakistan (e.g. rainfall is
unpredictable);
• Very high temperatures – lead to evapotranspiration, less water
available;
• Very low temperatures – lead to freezing, less water available.
Hardships in developing alternative energy
resources except HEP:
• Expensive to build or develop own renewable energy / limited funding
available;
• Limited education / skills / know how to develop these technologies;
• Want to use up coal / gas reserves first / cheaper to use coal / gas;
• Reliant on other countries to help develop renewable sources;
• Demand of growing population difficult to meet / not enough electricity
can be produced;
• Areas suitable for large scale production are distant from centres of
population
Advantages and disadvantages of generating electricity from solar power:
advantages:
 solar is a renewable resource; will not run out/can be used again/reduces use of
non-renewables
 solar power is environmentally friendly; because it doesn’t burn anything/does not
create air pollution/greenhouse gases
 Pakistan is sunny/has high number of sunshine hours/250-300 sunny days a year; so
most/remote regions can utilise solar power
 once solar panels have been installed running costs are low; saving money in the
long term
 small solar panels can be provided on homes; provides electricity to areas without
need for pylons and cables
 solar panels are portable; can be installed on house rooftops/slopes/can be easily
installed
 solar panels are low maintenance; minimal running costs/need for servicing for
rural areas: • Solar panels can be located anywhere / portable; Do not need to be
connected to the national power gird; Energy can be produced on site / in-situ / does
not have to be
transported through cables; Easy to set up small scale scheme / independent
schemes / every house will have their own solar panel;
• Limitless / will not run out
disadvantages:
 amount of power generated per solar panel is quite small; may
need several to power a home
 development of solar farms takes up large areas; land is
needed for agriculture/industry etc.
 expensive to buy panels/construct solar farms; difficult to
afford the initial investment/may need loans/increases debt
 no power is generated at night; in winter days are shorter in
the north of Pakistan so energy production is not guaranteed
 some regions of Pakistan have long periods of
cloud/rain/snow; less power is generated during these times/a
backup source may be needed
 solar panels can get covered in dust/sand; require cleaning to
ensure they can still operate/reduces their efficiency
Wind power: it is produced by wind mills when wind pumps convert the
kinetic energy in the wind to the mechanical power. This mechanical energy is then
converted into energy by the wind turbine. Pakistan’s coastal area is dominated by
strong winds so it has potential but the individuals wind mills can’t full fill the energy
requirement and giving large area to windmills will be extremely expensive and have
clear vast land which causes lost of inhabitants and also produces less energy than
thermal power stations and needs climatic requirements. However, it is renewable
resource, is environmental friendly, they also promote tourism and may attract the
small scale industries due to availbility of the elctricity and will provide emploment
and income. The gharo wind power plant is build in sindh

generator

bladers

pole
Geothermal power:it is the energy derived from the earth’s energy. The earth’s
heat absorbed in the underground, this hot water derived from hot springs, and steam that is
produced from it is used to turn on turbines. Pakistan has geothermal potential in Himalayan
region and chagai area in balochistan and can be very effective if explored properly. This is
renewable and sustainable source of energy however, this needs a lot of investment and
cautiousness due to the volcanic eruptions and power stations can have damage due to the
earthquakes and eruption.
Biomass: it is the energy derived from the organic vegitative and agricultural residue like
wheat-straw, sugar beans and paper trash. These are burned to produce biofuel which is
mostly used by local people. Another form of it is the energy produced from animal waste
[biogas] like cow dung that gives off methane gas. Women use this by making cow –dung
paties and dry that to use as fuel. Both are cheap sources of energy but are not environmental
friendly as the burning can produce air pollution and eventually becames the reason for
diseases. The use of cow dung as a manure for increasing soil fertility can also decrease
transmission of power: it is managed by many public organization such as
WAPDA [water and power development authority] and KESC [ karachi electricity supply
corporation] and some private sectors are also involved. The national grid system is the series
of grid stations and load centers that transfers the electricity from the stations to the users.
The electricity is transferred to the grid centers from transformer then through transmission
lines reaches the domesic, industrial users . The grid system is supplys the electricity where
heavy industrial work is located. Though there is a lot of wastage of electricity through this
system.
Pakistan’s electricity supply: pakistan is currently facing electricity
crisis, and shortage which is highly affecting the economical development in the
industries and agriculture. The electricity in pakistan is unsteady due to many
power theft when the electricity used is not paid for, the high cost of thermal power
station electricity overall increases the cost of electricity generation thus burden on
the economy, there is low management of wiring in power stations and outdated
grid stations causes defects and faults at transmitting electricity and causes
unsteady in current/ voltage and load shedding increases. There is present annual
average production of electricity 13000MW whereas there is a shortfall of 5000MW
this is due to the increasing demand in urbanization, agriculture, and industries.
There is also the reduced flow of water, less capital and less investment.
Solution: the investing of private sectors in the provision of electricity can help
full fill the demands of the population. Government should make sure of the
sustainable supply which can be done by reducing the use of fossil fuel which are
unsustainable, produces carbon dioxide and global warming but those which are
can be replaced if exhausts. Small hydro power projects at many dams and barrages
which are still not made should be done. Natural gas should be more used as it is
domestically available as compared to oil and low quality coal. Solar panels can also
be installed at public places / buildings so that load shedding in houses can be
decreased.
Rural electrification: many villages of pakistan are deprived of electricity due
to which people can’t even carry out the basic activities. There where some projects
made like Basic Democracy and rural works programme that was to provide better
electricity in villages. To further increase it the existing national grid system can be
extended, programmes should be organized to develop thermal power stations at rural
areas, more use of renewable resources e.g. solar panels that can give up electricity to
65 houses, use of biogas and biomass can be increased. This will increase the standard
of living and provide, encourage more effective work of small scale industries and
provide more employment and income to farmers through the installing of tubewells,
and there will be a better access to information technology. However, this is cost
intensive and won’t be too effective due to the theft, and less management. The tribal
opposition can increase and cause into giving electricity to only chosen houses. The
difficult terrain of rural areas of Balochistan are difficult to supply with electricity
importance of electricity: there are many uses to electricity and it
determines the economy of a country. Helps in mordernization of the different sectors
such as enable use of new technology in agriculture sector which speeds up the process
of production. All industrial units use electricity and the uninterrupted supply will cause
in more producton, more trade and more GDP. The mining sector uses up machinery
that uses electricity for exploring, drilling and extracting. The better supply will cause
into the better availbility of the minerals and there won’t be a need to import.
It is possible to produce more electricity from renewable resources:
 once set up running costs are low, making them more sustainable
 labour is available to work on the construction/maintenance of renewable
power stations
 Pakistan has a lot of sunshine – perfect for solar power/desert areas can
be used for solar farms
 Pakistan has lots of hilly areas – perfect for wind energy
 Pakistan already has several dams and this can be extended to produce
more hydel power
 Pakistan has a coastline so it can develop tidal energy and build offshore
wind farms
 Pakistan recognises there are benefits of renewables/they are
environmentally friendly
It is not possible to produce more electricity from renewable resources:
 Pakistan already has power stations set up to use coal/oil/gas
 continuing to use reserves of coal/oil/gas is cheaper than setting up
alternatives from scratch
 requires knowledge/skilled workers to set up
 renewables (or examples) are not 100% reliable
 Pakistan has invested heavily in developing coal fired power stations; this
would be wasted
 problems with sandstorms in desert areas covering the solar panels;
need to be cleaned so that they work properly/not as effective as hoped
For Fatima Asim
your welcome