ABSTRACT

Energy can be obtained from various resources

i.e., water, wind, sunlight and fuels. It can exist in
various forms e.g., heat, light, electrical and
chemical. All forms of energy can be converted
into power, which can be used to do work e.g.,
petrol or diesel in burnt in car engines which
produce chemical energy and is used to make the
car move.

POWER RESOURCES
RASHME ADIL TEACHER O LEVEL PAKISTAN
STUDIES (2059/0448) BEACONHOUSE
MARGALLA ISLAMABAD [BMIB

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POWER RESOURCES
Power Resources
The main sources of energy in Pakistan are
Oil, Natural Gas, Hydel and Coal.
Minor energy sources include Nuclear and LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas) and CNG
(Compressed natural Gas) Solar and Wind.

Types of Resources
• Renewable resources
• Non-Renewable resources
Renewable Resources
• Resources which can be used again and again and do not finish e.g., water, solar power
and wind power.

Non-Renewable Resources
• Resources which cannot be used again and again and finished e.g., coal, oil and gas.

Definitions
Fossil Fuel
Fuels formed by the decomposition of plants and animals millions of years ago.
e.g., coal, oil and gas.

Mineral Prospecting
It is searching for minerals.

Coalfield
An area with deposits of coal.

Coalmine
Specific area from where coal is extracted.

Gasification of coal
Also known as coal gas. Coal is converted into gaseous form to be used as fuel.
Coal gas is a mixture of carbon monoxide, hydrogen and methane. Coal is heated
in the presence of steam and oxygen and is converted into a gaseous form

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Derrick
A lifting device used to dig a hole for an oil well. It is a structure that holds the
equipment for drilling an oil well.

Coal
Coal is the oldest fossils fuel discovered in the world and formed by the decomposition of natural
vegetation.
It has different qualities ranging from Anthracite to Peat.
In Pakistan Bituminous to Lignite qualities are found.

Types of Coal.
• Anthracite
• Bituminous
• Lignite
• Peat

Anthracite
• Best quality of coal with highest carbon content and burns with great heat.
• Not available in Pakistan

Bituminous
• Good quality coal and is most abundant.
Lignite
• It is found near the surface and easier to mine.
• Low quality coal with a high moisture and ash content.

Peat
• It is made of vegetative matter and represent the initial stage of coal formation.
• Basic use is as domestic fuel.

Coalfields of Pakistan
• The Salt Range and Makarwal Coalfield
• The Quetta Coalfield
• The Lower Sindh Coalfield

The Salt Range Coalfields

• The coal in this region is of poor quality, with high ash and sulphur content.
Makarwal-Gullakhel coalfields
• These coalfields are located in the Trans-Indus Salt Range.

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• The seams are slightly thicker and the coal is better quality.

Quetta Coalfields
Quetta coalfields comprises of three major coalfields:

• Khost Sharig-Harnai Coalfield

• The Sor Range-Degari Coalfield
• The Mach Coalfield

The Lower Sindh Coalfields

• Has four major coalfields:
i. The Jhimpir-Meting Coalfield,
ii. The Lakhra Coalfield,
iii. The Sonda- Thatta Coldfield,
iv. The Thar Coalfield,

Mining Processes
• Mining is a process of digging rocks and minerals from the earth.

Methods of Mining.
• Open Cast Mining
• Underground Mining.
• Adit Mining
• Shaft Mining

Open Cast Mining

• Some minerals like coal and iron often lie near the surface.
• The method scoops up these minerals from near the surface.
• The minerals bearing rocks are stripped off by giant excavators and power shovels, which
then load the material into lorries of railway wagons to be carried away.

Adit Mining
• An adit is an opening or passage.
• Adit mining is done in hilly areas where a mineral seam is exposed on a hillside.
• Horizontal shafts are dug into hillside the reach the seam
• Minerals are brought to the surface by pulleys
• Transported by trucks / trolleys.

Shaft Mining
• Vertical shafts are dug deep in the ground to reach the mining seam.

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• Tunnels / side shafts along seems.

• Pick and shovel are used to remove mineral from seams.
• Lifted to surface through lift cage.
• Transported by trucks / trolleys.
• Miners are constantly exposed to high temperature and poisonous gases.

Transportation of Coal
After the extraction, coal is loaded onto trolleys. In some small coal mines donkeys are used as an
underground transport. Ones the coal comes out of the mine, the qualities of coal are separated
and sold to the middleman who further loads it into trucks and supplies it to the brick kilns and
cement factories etc. where it is used as a fuel.
Elevators are used and coal is ties in sacks, pulled up with rope in most of shaft mines.
Railways are preferred for coal transportation as they are efficient and cheap due to its number of
carriages.

Q1. Why is coal produced in Pakistan described as low quality?

• Lignite is inferior quality coal found in abundance in Pakistan.

• It has low burning temperature thus produces less energy.
• It has low carbon content with more impurities and produces more smoke.
• High ash and moisture content and does not burn effectively.
• High sulphur and moisture content so produce smoke.

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Q2. Study the map showing coalfields and coal mining centers in Pakistan.

Q1. Name the coalfield X and one of the mining centers there.
• Quetta coalfield.
Sor range, Mach, Khost, Shahrig, Harnai.
Q2. Name the coalfield Y and one of the mining centers.

• Lower Sindh coalfield.

Jhimpir, sonda.
Q3. State the two main uses of coal mined in coalfield X.
• Brick making / brick kilns.

Q4. Describe the distribution of coal in Pakistan.

• widespread in Pakistan.
• Huge deposits in Northern Balochistan eg Quetta coalfields
• Southern Sindh has huge deposits too
• In the northern parts of Punjab, coalfields are located in the Salt range
• few deposits are in KPK known as Makerwal coalfield.
Q5. Give reasons to explain why Pakistan imports coal every year?
• Low quality Lignite which needs to be processed making it expensive.
• Not good enough for iron smelting

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• Difficult to mine as seams are thin.

• Use of traditional methods resulting in low output
• Untapped mineral reserves which are mostly in remote areas.
• Lack of technical experts and finances.
• Government negligence and political instability does not encourage foreign investors so
limited development.

USES OF COAL

• Major use: brick kiln industry

• 9 to 10% in thermal electricity
• Industries: chemical and cement
• Domestic uses.

Is coal a preferred fuel in the near future?

Not a preferred fuel:

• heavy and bulky which increases transport cost.

• Not an environment friendly fuel. Smoke and poisonous gases are released in the air while
digging and blasting that cause pollution.
• Difficult and expensive to extract as mostly in remote and inaccessible areas.
• As compared to oil and gas, it has more difficult transportation and has low heating value.

A preferred fuel:

• Pakistan has over 3000 million tonnes of coal reserves, with huge reserves at Thar, 97% of
country’s coal reserves. If extracted:
• It will be sufficient to meet the country’s fuel requirements.
• It will save the cost of importing fuel which will save billions of dollars in foreign
exchange.
• It will encourage industrial growth which will result in employment and will open more
business opportunities.
• Pakistan will be self-sufficient in coal which will increase revenue.

Mineral Oil

• It is also known as a 'Black Gold'.

• It occurs in the porous spaces of sedimentary rocks in dome shaped anticlines between two
layers of non-porous rocks.
• The oil is trapped in the anticline with gas above and water below.
• It can be found many hundreds of meters underground or under the sea bed.

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Oil Drilling Process

• It is extracted by drilling into the ground.
• It is a very costly operation and involves big drilling machines.
• A derrick which is a big steel structure is erected to hold the drilling machine
• Drilling is done to a depth of 2000 to 5000 meters or more till the layer of oil deposit is
reached.
• Derrick has drilling bit which is made of hard metal to hit the hard rocks underground.
• The oil comes out by itself because of the pressure of rocks.
• The oil well is properly tapped to prevent wastage.
• The Christmas Tree is fixed on the surface with different levers and valves to control the
pressure of crude oil.
Study the figure, a cross section showing an anticline oil trap.

Oilfields
There are two main oil producing regions in Pakistan.

• Potwar Plateau Oilfield, (Northern Region)

• Lower Sindh Oilfield, (Southern Region)
•
1. Potwar Plateau Oilfield
Name of OILWELLS
• Dhurnal
• Meyal

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• Toot
• Adhi

2. Lower Sindh Oilfield

• The region produces 35% of Pakistan's oil.
• Tando Alam and Laghari are the major oilwells.

Oil Refining
Crude oil cannot be used in its raw state. It has to be processed and refined into useful products
such as petrol for cars, airplanes, kerosene, diesel oil for trucks and buses.

Oil Refinery
Main Oil Refineries in Pakistan:
• Attock Oil Refinery
• Mahmood Kot Oil Refinery
• Pakistan Oil Refinery
• National Oil Refinery
• Hub Oil Refinery

1. Attock Oil Refinery

• It is located at Morga near Attock in Punjab.
• This refinery refines the oil produced from the Potwar Plateau.
• It supplies oil to Northern Punjab and Northern areas of Pakistan.

2. Mahmood Kot Oil Refinery

• It is located west of Multan between River Indus and Chenab.
• This Refinery refines the imported oil from Iran and Karachi and supplies oil to the Central
Pakistan and Lower Punjab.

3. Pakistan and National Oil Refineries

• Both refineries are located in Karachi and Refine the imported oil from Saudi Arabia and
the oil produced from the Lower Sindh.
• Both refineries supply oil to Karachi and adjacent areas.
• Are well connected and linked with major cities, port facility, dense population so high
demand

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4. Hub Oil Refinery

• located near Karachi in Balochistan and refines the imported oil.
• This refinery supplies oil to industrial areas of Hub and Karachi.

Study the map which shows the location of oil refineries in Pakistan.

Q1. With reference to the map, describe and explain the distribution of oil
refineries.
• Morga refinery is on Potwar Plateau near Attock in northwest Punjab.
• Mahmood Kot refinery in southern Punjab between river Indus and Chenab
• On coast near Karachi at Hub in Sindh coast.
Explanation
• Morga refinery refines oil from Potwar Plateau oilfields for upper Punjab and
KPK.
• Mahmood Kot placed to serve central Pakistan and Southern Punjab.
… supplied with crude oil by white pipeline from Karachi.
… supplied by pipeline from Iran across Baluchistan.
• Karachi refineries refine imported oil.
• Karachi refineries crude oil from lower Sindh oilfields.
• Hub refinery supplied by pipeline from Karachi.

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• Hub and Karachi to serve industrial area and large population.

Transportation of Oil

On land oil is transported by three ways:

1. By Pipeline
2. By Road Tanker
3. By Rail Tanker.
Transportation by roads and rail tankers is:
• relatively costly
• time-consuming
• inefficient as compared to transmission by pipelines
• movement of the tankers on the roads is dangerous and flammable
• it can also cause extreme degradation to the existing road surface and be a danger to
human lives.
• Economical for short distances.
• Supply oil to areas with no pipelines.

Pipeline transportation is
• Efficient and ensures constant supply
• convenient
• cheapest mode of transportation
• is more environment friendly
• low running cost
• high initial cost
• risk of terrorism
• difficult to lay in mountainous areas
• risk of leakage

Crude Oil
• is unrefined oil.
• Crude Oil is pumped through pipes from the oil tankers at the oil terminals on the coast to
the refineries nearby.
• The Pak Arab Refinery Company (PARCO) is playing an important role in the inland
transportation of crude oil from Karachi.
• A pipeline has been constructed from Karachi port to PARCO's mid-country refinery
located at Mehmood Kot for transportation of crude oil.
• After refining the crude oil is supplied to the up and mid-country.

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Uses of Oil
The greatest use of oil is as motor fuel. It drives nearly all the motor vehicles and aircraft of the
world and a large proportion of trains and ships.
Oil is also used as a lubricant for machine to reduce friction.
It is also very important as a source of power to generate electricity.
The by-products of oil refining have many domestic and industrial uses.

Q1. Explain in detail why it is necessary for Pakistan to import so much petroleum (crude
oil) even though petroleum is produced in Pakistan.

• oil production is Pakistan is low.

• Pakistan cannot satisfy its own needs for oil.
• Growing demand due to increasing population.
• Increasing number of industries.
• Extension of road network.
• Increasing number of vehicles.
• Conversion to diesel locomotives.

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• Mechanization of agriculture.
• Most thermal power stations use oil.
• Lubricant for machinery.
• Source of many by-products e.g. Paraffin / wax / plastics.
• Increasing demand

Study the figure which shows a cross section showing an anticline oil trap.

Q1. The area of rock containing oil.

Ans. Y
Q2. The area of rock containing natural gas.
Ans. X
Q3. What is meant by the term ‘Porous rock’?
Ans. Has pores and spaces to hold liquids and gases.
Q4. Why is the feature in the figure called an oil ‘trap’?
Ans: Cannot get through rocks around it as lies between layers of non-porous.

Q5. Explain how oil products are important to either farming or manufacturing.
Ans. Farming
• Fuel for machines.
• Fuel for transport.
• Electricity generation for power.
• Fertilizer for growth.
• Lubricants for machines.
• Pesticides for healthy growth.

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Manufacturing
• Fuel for machines.
• Fuel for transport vehicles.
• Electricity generation for power
• Fuel for heating.
• Raw material for various products.
• Tarmac for metaled roads.

Natural Gas
• It is the second most important source of energy being the cheapest as compared to oil
and coal and supplying 35% of the energy.
• About 95 % of the gas is derived from the gas field and the 5% is associated with oil.
• The industries are the main consumers, the fertilizer industry being on top, followed by
power generation, domestic consumers and commercial use.

Importance of natural Gas

• It is the source of energy and fulfill 35 % requirements of the country.
• Used as a chief raw material in different industries, especially in Fertilizer Industry.
• Used at domestic level.
• Used in power generation.
• Low-cost energy.
• Used in transport in the form of CNG and LPG.

Gas Fields
There are three major gas fields in Pakistan:
1. East Central Balochistan and Upper Sindh
2. Lower Sindh Gas Field
3. The Northern Region

Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG)

When natural gas is cooled to a very low temperature it turns into a liquid. This liquid is called
Liquefied Petroleum Gas. It can be moved from place to place in special cylinders. In
mountainous areas like Murree, Gilgit, Abbotabad, where there are no gas pipelines, many people
use LPG for heating and cooking.
Organizations to develop Oil and Gas resources,
• Geological Survey of Pakistan. (GSP) 1947.
It is responsible for the study of geology of the country in detail and assesses, its mineral potential
through geological mapping, geo-scientific surveys and applied research.

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• Oil and Gas Development Company Limited. (OGDCL) 1961. To plan, promote,
organize and implement programs for the exploration and development of oil and gas
resources.
• Sui Northern Gas Pipeline Limited. (SNGPL) 1963.
Transmission, purification and distribution of natural gas in Punjab and KPK.

DISTRIBUTION OF SUI GAS

In Pakistan, for transmission and distribution of natural gas two companies have been established
for domestic and commercial purpose. They are as follows;
Q1. Why is natural gas an important fuel in Pakistan?
• Can reach remote areas in cylinders.
• Easier to transport than coal.
• Alternative to oil in vehicles.
• Used in power stations.
• Cleaner than oil or coal.
• Reduces dependence on imported fuels.
• Shortage of oil and coal in Pakistan.
• Cheaper.

Q1. Study the figure, which shows the gas pipelines in Pakistan.

(a) Name the gas field

• Sui.

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(b) State two ways in which gas can be supplied to areas away from pipeline.
• Changed to a liquid / LPG /CNG and transported by tankers.

(c). What is natural gas used for in homes and why is this fuel chosen?
•Uses
Heating.
Cooking.
• Why
Available in cities and towns.
Cheaper than oil and coal.
Easier than collecting firewood.
Less bulky and easier to transport than coal.
Cleaner than coal and oil.

. (d) Suggest why natural gas is ‘A cheap fuel and an Easy fuel.
• Produced in Pakistan / in Balochistan / at sui / not imported.
• Lightweight.
• Easy transportation through pipelines.
• Portable in cylinders.
• Cleaner than burning wood / coal.
• No smoke or smell when it is burning
• Easy to extract

(e). What are the disadvantages of supplying natural gas through cylinders?
• It does not ensure constant supply
• Large quantity cannot be supplied
• poor quality cylinders result in explosions
• decanting can be dangerous; gas leakage may lead to explosions. Decanting is illegal
transfer of gas from one cylinder to another.
• Transportation is expensive
• Uses of Natural Gas
• Fuel for thermal power plants
• Fuel for vehicles as CNG
• Raw material for industries such as chemical
• Domestic fuel for heating and cooking.

THERMAL POWER PLANTS

• Generated by using fossil fuels
• Majority of Karachi generates electricity by thermal power plants

HOW IT WORKS
• Coal, oil or gas is used as fuel

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• Fuel is burned and heat is produced which is converted to steam.

• Steam turns the turbines
• Turbine is connected with rod to generator
• This produces electricity

Advantages of Thermal Power Plants

• Not site specific, can be set up anywhere.
• Encourages industrial set up.
• Helps solve energy crisis.
• Less construction cost and time as compared to HEP.
• Does not require an extensive area as compared to HEP.

Disadvantages of Thermal Power Plants

• High initial investment
• Produces smoke and fume which leads to air pollution
• Fossil fuels are used which may exhaust the available resources
• Produces expensive electricity as compared to HEP.

Nuclear Energy
Nuclear energy is power that is released from atoms and the most powerful source of energy.
Fission: In atomic fission energy is released when atoms split up into small substances.
Fusion: In atomic fusion, energy is released when atoms are joined together to form a bigger atom
that releases energy.
Both processes used heat energy to generate the electricity.
Pakistan is also utilizing nuclear energy for electricity generation.
Two nuclear power plants have been established in Pakistan.
Karachi Nuclear Power Plant (KANUPP)
The Karachi Nuclear Power Plant was built with the help of Canadian aid.
Chashma Nuclear Power Plant
It was established with the help of Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission.
Factors needed for developing Nuclear Power Plant

• Requires qualified man power.

• Required advance technology.
• Required advance facilities.
• Availability of raw material (Uranium)

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Advantages
• Large output.
• Reliable.
• Small input of raw material. (Small amount of uranium is sufficient to produce energy
and so there is less
• Less pollution and is environment friendly as there is no emission of gases in the
atmosphere.
• Risk of accidents is less in nuclear power plant.

• Pakistan is deficient in fossils fuels so nuclear energy can solve the energy problem.

Disadvantages
• The fuel rods in reactors produces dangerous rays. People exposed to the rays
get cancer and their children can be born deformed.
• Expensive to buy and build.
• Lack of technology.
• Risk of terrorism.
• Nuclear waste can remain radioactive for many years. There are problems
with reprocessing and strong nuclear waste.

RENEWABLE ENERGY RESOURCES

• Examples: HEP, wind, solar, geo thermal, biogas
• HEP is most common in Pakistan.

Q1. Why should Pakistan develop renewable energy resources?

• Are environment friendly and mostly produce no greenhouse gas emissions.
• Will help reduce import of oil and coal
• Will help generate employment
• Will encourage industrial set up
• Are inexhaustible and are everlasting.

Hydroelectricity

Q1. What are the advantages of developing dams for HEP generation?
• Are renewable and cheap to generate.
• Provides employment for local people
• Are multipurpose, is a source of tourism and water sport activities
• Encourages inland fishing
• Source of irrigation
• More availability of water for domestic, agricultural and industrial uses.
• Does not produce harmful gases like carbon dioxide as in thermal power plants so is
environment friendly

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Q2. What are the disadvantages of building a dam?

• The limited choice of suitable sites as it requires a mountainous terrain
• Lack of skilled labor and expertise
• large land is deforested for dam construction increasing surface run off and siltation.
• Dispute over share of water (between provinces)
• the high cost of building the dam and the power station
• Environmental damage due to flooding of valleys to create a reservoir
• Climatic specific, neither suitable in areas with high temperatures as water will evaporate,
nor in cold temperatures as water will freeze.
• Opposition for tribal areas in mountains and opposition from provinces and security issues.
• People have to be displaced and relocation of them requires money.
• Construction time is too long
• Siltation is a major problem which results in reduced storage capacity of dams

Q3. What is meant by multi- purpose dam?

Dams which store water for irrigation and produces electricity.
Examples:
Tarbela dam on River Indus
Mangla dam on River Jhelum
Warsak dam on River Kabul.

Q4. What are the physical/ natural requirements for the construction of dams?
• Presence of fast flowing rivers so that the reservoir fills up
• Presence of glaciers as melting of snow will provide water
• Deep valley to hold large quantities of water
• Impervious rock layer at the base for solid foundation and to avoid water seepage
• Precipitation rate should be high for natural filling of dam
• Moderate climate, neither very cold to avoid water freezing nor very hot to avoid water
evaporation.
• Forested valley sides to prevent siltation.

Q5. How does the construction of a large dam affect the delta?
• Reduced flow of water downstream
• Depletion of mangroves/ fish breeding ground is disturbed/ affects the fishing industry
• More erosion and siltation take place at the coastline.

Q6. How does climate affect construction of dams?

• High temperature: increases evaporation rate
• Cold temperature: water will freeze
• Rain shadow areas: receive less and insufficient rainfall

Bio-Gas
• Biogas produced from animal waste specially cow dung.
• It gives off methane gas.

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• It is used for cooking, heating and other purposes.

• It is a cheap source of energy

Advantages
• It is a cheap source of energy
• Easy to set up
• Good use of animal and plant waste
• Reduces solid and sewage waste on land

Disadvantages
• Causes air pollution because methane gas is a greenhouse gas.
• Less availability of cow dung reducing organic manure for fertilizers.
• Serves on small scale

Biomass
• It refers to organic material, plants and vegetables matter, both living and decaying that
can be used as fuel.
• Examples of biomass include trees and grass, agricultural residues like used vegetable oils,
wheat straw, or corn, sugar beets, grains, sugar cane, wood waste like paper trash, wood
chips, livestock and municipal waste etc.
• Numerous processes such as gasification and fermentation, can tap into this energy source
to produce energy available for human use.

Solar Energy
In Pakistan there is enough potential for solar energy as:

• there are 250 to 300 sunny days a year in many parts of the country
• Continuous cloudy days are also rare
• Solar energy can be used for:
rural electrification, water heating, pumping water from wells and for cooking purposes.
Advantages:

• Safe
• pollution free
• efficient
• in limitless supply.
Disadvantages:

• construction of solar power stations is expensive

• provides electricity on small scale

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• requires further advances in technology.

Ways of Collecting Solar Energy.

1. Solar Cells
Solar cells can power radios and even small cars.

2. Solar Panels
Solar panel collects heat from the sun and uses it to heat water. The steam from water is used to
turn a turbine to generate electricity.

3. Solar Furnaces
Solar furnaces use giant mirrors to focus the sun's rays on a boiler. Steam from the boiler is used
to make electricity.
EXAMPLE: Quaid e Azam solar park, Cholistan desert in Bahawalpur, Punjab

Wind Power
• wind energy is clean
• abundant
• Affordable
• inexhaustible
• an environment friendly source of energy.
wind power is the process by which the wind is used to generate mechanical electricity
Wind mills and wind pumps convert the kinetic energy in the wind into mechanical power.
A wind turbine has a generator which converts the mechanical power into electricity.
Large scale wind farms, which consist of many turbines, are connected to electrical grids to
provide electricity to a large area. Individual turbines can provide electricity to isolated locations.
coastal areas and mountains with high wind potential are potential areas for developing wind
power.

Developing Wind Power in Pakistan/ feasibility

• The coast of Pakistan is about 1000 kms long and has a population of about 10 million
people. High wind is available nearly all the year round in these areas.
• Annual wind speed is maximum in Balochistan (Ormara, Jivani and Pasni) and Karachi is
sufficient

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• Gharo wind power plant is planned to be built at Gharo, Sindh province. This will be the
first wind power project of 50 MW to take advantage of strong winds in the coastal areas.

Advantages of Wind Power

• A renewable resource.
• It is environment friendly.
• It can be used independently at local in rural and remote areas of Pakistan.
• Wind farms provide a source of income for farmers
• May attract small industries to rural part of Pakistan where job opportunities are limited.
• Wind power can help to solve Pakistan’s energy problems thus leading to industrial and
agricultural expansion.
• No chance of greenhouse gases
• Attract tourists
• Low running cost

Disadvantages of Wind power

• Wind turbines are expensive to build thus increasing the burden on the economy.
• The strength of wind is not constant and as a result, wind turbines do not produce
the same amount of electricity all the time.
• They automatically stop working when there is a storm.
• Wind farms can be developed only in coastal and mountainous areas with high
wind speeds.
• Cannot develop in plain areas due less speed of wind.
• Wind turbines can kill birds.
• Noise pollution.

EXAMPLE: Gharo wind power project, Sindh.

Geothermal Power
• Geothermal is energy derived from the heat of the Earth’s core.
• Geothermal energy is energy produced from Earth’s heat absorbed in underground water
such as hot springs. The holes are drilled into the land to pump out hot water. This hot
water or steam is used to derive turbines to produce electricity.

Advantages
• Constant supply of energy
• Renewable
• Pollution free
• Sustainable energy
• Solve energy problem in Pakistan.

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Disadvantages
• Expensive to construct.
• Site specific, can only be developed in areas with volcanic activity
• Require expertise and technology
• It can destroy due to volcanic eruption and earthquakes.

Geothermal potential in Pakistan

• A plate margin passes through Pakistan and it lies in an earthquake zone.
• According to a geotectonic framework survey conducted by United Nations and Italian
experts. Pakistan has a potential of commercially exploitable sources of geothermal energy
in Himalayas and Chagai region in Balochistan plateau.

Wave Power
• Pakistan has about 1000 kilometers long coastline.
• The Makran Coastal areas has strong wave energy which could be harnessed for the
generation of electric power for rapidly developing coastal cities, Gwadar, Pasni, Ormara
.

Tidal Power
• It is a renewable method of producing electricity by using the movements of the tides.
• The tide (The alternate rise and fall of the surface of the sea, caused by the gravitational
pull of the moon) comes in and out once and usually twice in every 24 hours.
• This is due to the gravitational pull of the moon.

Tidal Power Potential in Pakistan

Indus Deltaic Creek (smaller distributaries)

Electricity
• Pakistan produces from all these three resources namely Hyde! 30 %, Thermal 68 % and
Nuclear 02 %. Thermal includes electricity produced from petroleum, gas and coal.
• Hydel power is obtained from running water and Nuclear from atomic energy.
• Punjab consumes the largest quantity of electricity followed by Sindh, KPK and
Balochistan.

Transmission of Electricity
The transmission of electricity in Pakistan is done through a national grid system.
All the provinces are knit by this grid.

Advantages
• Every part of the country receives electricity according to its needs.

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• If any area generates less electricity than it needs, the shortage is met from other parts
of the country.
• In case of power failure in a particular area, the loss is compensated instantly from
other areas.

Disadvantages
• Because of long distances, the transmission and distribution losses of electricity
are heavy about 30 %.
• Industrialization, urbanization and rural electrification have increased demand
for electricity.
• The transmission lines were laid at a colossal cost and their maintenance also
demands heavy, expenditures.
• During the winter season the hydel power generation decreases with the reduced flow of
water in the rivers.
• Siltation in the reservoirs of dams also causes disruption in electricity generation
by reducing the flow of water.

Q1. What is load ‘shedding’ and how does it affect industry and business in
Pakistan?
Load shedding is planned power cuts.

Effects
• Interrupts production.
• Damage machinery.
• Cannot meet deadlines.
• Slows production and reduces output and affects quality, leading to loss of orders
• Cost of generators is high.
• Email communication and other means of communication between buyer and seller is
disturbed
• Difficult and frustrating working conditions

Q2. How is electricity produced in power stations such as Mangla and Tarbela and
how is it transmitted to cities?

How produced:
• Water from reservoir and dam is converted to generate electricity.
• The flow of water turns the turbines which spins, generates electricity through
electromechanical generators.
• This process harness kinetic energy of the flowing water to produce electricity.
• The electricity is then transmitted through power lines for distribution.

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How transmitted:
• From transformer at hydel / HEP stations which controls the voltage onto national
grid, also known as cables wires which is a network of wires.
• These power lines form part of the electrical grid which distributes electricity to
substations which further supply to local area.

National Grid System

The National Grid connects hydel generation in the north and thermal generation in
mid country and the south managed by WAPDA and KESC. It consists of a large network
of transmission lines and grid stations to transmit power to load centers and then
to commercial and domestic consumers throughout the country.

Q1. How many factories try to overcome the problem of unreliable electricity
supply from the national grid? Why is it important for them to do so?

How:
• Government encouraging private power stations.
• Use of alternative sources e.g. Solar / Biogas.
• Have stand by generators.

Why:
• Interrupted production.
• Interrupts supply to market.
• Reduces sale that affects the market.
• Profits fall, leading to loss in income.
• Damage machinery.

Rural Electrification
66.5 % of the population lives in the rural areas. Most of the rural areas are deprived of even
the basic facilities of modern life.

Advantages of Rural Electrification

• Tube wells can be installed for irrigation. This will also help to control waterlogging
and salinity. Consequently, there could be a marked increase in agricultural
production.
• Small Scale Industries can be developed to provide employment and to meet the demand
for industrial goods.
• The standard of living increases.
• People can use electrical appliances, improving the life standards of the locals.
• People can receive the electronic media and access information technology.

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Rural Development Program

There are many Programs for rural development like Village Aid, Basic Democracy and
Rural Works Program. Providing electricity to rural areas was one of the main targets of
them.
Basic limitations include:

• Many of the small villages especially in KPK and Baluchistan are far
from transmission lines.
• The cost of laying and maintaining transmission lines is high and is an extra burden
on the country's meager economic resources.

Factors affecting the electrification of villages

• Distance from the power supply line. Villages within one kilometer of supply line
will be electrified.

• Villages with larger population will be supplied with electricity. Villages with 1000
people in Punjab and Sindh, and 300-500 people in Balochistan and NWFP will be
supplied with electricity.

Sustainable
In order to have sustainable development of power resources the following measures must
be taken.

• The development of renewable resources of energy by using advanced technology.

• Strict measures to avoid the chances of theft.
• The preservation and conservation of the non-renewable resources of the earth to
guard against the danger of their future exhaustion.
• Making effective conservation policies.
• Faulty and damaged transmission lines should be replaced on an emergency basis
to avoid losses in electricity.
• Public awareness programs should be introduced through media.

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