Business Recorder's editorial on the above subject (March 8) highlights the difference in the GOP claims and the view of energy professionals, latest announcement by KfW, a German government-owned development entity, calling the claims "politically influenced"! There is no doubt that the government's claims of high-efficiency in the power sector are totally misplaced.
Even natural gas-fired combined cycle power plants, openly confirming 61 percent thermal efficiency in large and expensive ads (at our cost) are impossible to be actually achieved for most part of the year due to high ambient conditions and site altitude and nobody is there to question the very high capital costs as well as exorbitant fuel costs, derived from lower efficiency and expensive imported LNG costs.
The reality is worse than the above alarming power sector status since all coal power plants (and there are many) are of much lower efficiency, nearly 40 percent less than the above mentioned efficiency claims. The resulting massive handling of coal from Karachi to 1000-km away power plants paint a dismal picture of high costs and severe environmental pollution in Karachi and at/around power plant sites.
China is wanting "Blue Sky" once again after their miserable coal power plant policy created serious health hazards and instead of advising greedy officials here not to kill the bird laying golden eggs, they are "happy" to do good business and we will end up with sickening "Grey Skies" all over Karachi and many parts of Punjab thanks to the poor choice of coal power plant technology!
China is scrapping construction of 85 planned coal power plants. Chinese government is planning to invest 300 billion pound sterling into renewable energy sector and for us, we have major contribution of most polluting coal-fired power plants, all coming from China.
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