Coal dedicated import at Port Bin Qasim is commercially operational heading all initial power projects.

Arsalan I. Khan Secretary Pakistan International Bulk Terminal Limited (PIBT) Company notified Pakistan Stock Exchange that company’s project terminal to handle bulk cargo vessels at Port Qasim successfully completed and started commercial operation.

Pakistan Stock Exchange trading PIBT as a public company with a stock price of 5% upper limit and closing with2.78 million shares at Rs23.28.

The newly established terminal also facilitates export services to cement and clinker manufacturers. The established facilities cost about $285 million holding a cargo facility 12 million tons cargo per year but currently, they are importing only coal.

Captain Anwar Shah, independent expert on ports said estimating the demands that the current import of coal is importing 5-7-million ton coal per annum but the demand is expected to surge to 12-15 million tons of coal-fired plants to be onscreen in near future

“Pakistan is to start over 2,900-megawatt imported coal-fired projects till 2019, December”, said the federal government’s Private Power and Infrastructure Board.

 

PIBT has established an understanding earlier regarding coal import for Sahiwal’s (Punjab) coal-fired power project with power generation capacity of 1,320-megawatts so far at testing phase. Later, the change of plan and wharf jetties at Port Qasim are approached for coal imports.

PIBT importing coal mostly for Awan Trading (Private) Limited at present which is the biggest importer and supplier of the article of trade in the country. Important to mention that coal is the basic raw material for cement industries. Export of cement is subdued since mid of 2015 when anti-dumping duty imposed on Pakistan exporters by South Africa. The decline is observed in export to India as more active exporters Iran and China the regional competitors in recent years.

“The terminal is automatic with efficient loading and unloading times as compared to manual terminals. due to the modern and mechanized handling system, the cargo of same tons that takes 7 days at other port will be handled in just two days. China Harbour Engineering Company installed the setup is known as ‘Scada’. Scada can be easily handled by one man controlling loading and unloading using real-time big screen “, Company officials.

Scada unloads 1,800 tons coal per hour and loads,600 tons of cement and clinker per hour, “officials told.

 

Several firms prefer to import crushed instead of broken coal from Australia and Indonesia.

Captain Shah explained that Thar coal power plant can resolve energy issue but these coals powered plants hold a major risk to health for inhabitants of the area and seaports. People of Kemari and nearby at Karachi already diagnosed with different diseases. In the monsoon coal dust from Karachi port after being mixed with the air will hit localities like Clifton

PIBT is to put together procedures to trail and control environmental risks. Water sprinklers are believed to be helpful and save coal in hot days from catching fires.