1. Introduction:
Pakistan’s growing reliance on coal for energy production presents a significant challenge to its climate vulnerability. With projects like the Thar Coalfield and the Sahiwal coal plant, the country is at a crossroads between meeting its energy demands and staying aligned with global climate goals. This post explores the drivers behind Pakistan’s coal dependency, its environmental consequences, and potential solutions.
2. Coal Consumption and Renewable Energy Growth in Pakistan:
Pakistan, which largely depends on coal for energy, is also growing its renewable energy capacity:
Coal consumption:
Pakistan’s third-largest energy source is coal. The majority of Pakistan’s coal is lignite, which has a higher moisture content. The country has 186 billion tons of coal reserves, with the majority located in Sindh.
Renewable energy:
In 2022, renewable energy accounted for 24.7% of Pakistan’s power generation. The government’s renewable energy policy aims to generate 60% of the country’s energy from renewable sources by 2030. Pakistan has significant potential for wind energy in the coastal regions of Sindh and Baluchistan.
visual representation of coal consumption vs renewable energy growth in Pakistan from 2010 to 2024. The red line shows the steady increase in coal consumption, while the green line reflects the growth in renewable energy sources. This comparison highlights the need for a transition to cleaner energy in the context of rising coal dependency.
3. Causes of Coal Dependency:
Pakistan’s coal dependency is due to a variety of factors, including:
Political and economic factors: The coal industry is a symbol of resource nationalism and vested interests for local governments and state-owned companies. Pakistan’s central government instability has also led to policy inconsistency and slow implementation.
Debt issues: Pakistan’s power sector is struggling with circular debt issues, which are made worse by exchange rate risks and the price of imported fuel.
Coal fleets: Pakistan has long-term contracted coal fleets that are sovereign-guaranteed, which adds to debt issues.
Natural gas reserves:
Pakistan’s natural gas reserves are depleting.
Hydroelectric power projects: Hydroelectric power projects take a long time to materialize.
Coal reserves: Coal reserves are located far from load centers, so the government has promoted the use of imported coal.
Desire to maximize GDP: Pakistan wants to maximize GDP and minimize domestic energy costs.
Desire to protect citizens’ energy rights: Pakistan wants to protect the right to subsistence energy for its citizens. Coal is abundant, especially with the discovery of the Thar coal reserves, and provides a cost-effective solution to bridge the energy deficit.
4 Environmental Impacts of Coal Dependency
While coal offers economic benefits, the environmental impacts are substantial, contributing to the degradation of Pakistan’s fragile ecosystems and public health concerns. Burning coal for power generation in Pakistan contributes to air pollution and has several negative health and environmental impacts, including:
Air pollution: Coal combustion releases large amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx), and particulate matter, leading to smog and poor air quality in regions near coal plants like Sahiwal. These pollutants can cause smog, acid rain, and respiratory illnesses.
Health impacts:
Exposure to these pollutants can cause a range of health issues, including asthma, breathing difficulties, brain damage, heart problems, cancer, neurological disorders, and premature death. Communities near coal facilities face higher risks of respiratory diseases, cancer, and other health issues due to exposure to pollutants.
Environmental impacts: Coal combustion can also lead to the accumulation of pollutants in water, which can have severe environmental impacts.
Contribution to Climate Change: Coal is one of the dirtiest fossil fuels, significantly contributing to global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Pakistan, despite contributing only 0.9% of global emissions, is severely impacted by climate change, facing frequent extreme weather events such as floods and heatwaves.
Water Stress:
Coal-based power plants consume large quantities of water for cooling and operation, exacerbating the water scarcity issue in an already drought-prone country.
Pakistan already has some of the highest air pollution levels in the world, which can reduce life expectancy by more than 2.5 years. A proposed coal mining and power cluster in the Thar region of Pakistan could expose an estimated 100,000 people to exceedances of the World Health Organization’s guidelines for 24-hour average sulfur dioxide concentrations. Over the life of the cluster, it could also be responsible for an estimated 29,000 air pollution-related deaths.
5. Solutions and Sustainable Alternatives
Addressing the reliance on coal requires a shift towards cleaner and more sustainable energy solutions:
Green Technology: Investment in green technologies like carbon capture and energy-efficient systems can help mitigate the harmful effects of coal while reducing its carbon footprint.
Renewable Energy Sources: Pakistan has immense potential for solar, wind, and hydropower development. Initiatives such as the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) also include solar and wind projects, which can help transition away from coal.(Plz read my previous blog)
Policy Shifts: Stronger government policies focused on reducing coal subsidies, imposing stricter environmental regulations, and incentivizing renewable energy adoption are essential to reducing Pakistan’s coal dependency.
Some more Key sustainable alternatives to coal in Pakistan:
Solar Power: Pakistan has abundant sunshine, making solar photovoltaic (PV) technology a highly viable option for electricity generation across residential, commercial, and industrial sectors.
Wind Power: Coastal areas in Pakistan offer excellent wind potential, allowing for large-scale wind farm development.
Hydropower: Utilizing the Indus River system through dams like the Diamer-Bhasha Dam can significantly increase hydropower capacity, contributing to a clean energy mix.
Biomass Energy: Agricultural waste and other organic materials can be converted into biofuel to generate electricity, providing a locally available renewable source.
Nuclear Power: While controversial, nuclear power can offer a baseload energy source with minimal greenhouse gas emissions when managed responsibly.
5. Global vs. Regional Context:
Pakistan’s global and regional contexts are both important to its economic development and the challenges it faces:
Global context: Pakistan’s global context includes its position in the global economy, its population, and its per capita income. Worldwide, coal is being phased out as part of the effort to combat climate change. Countries like Germany and China have begun to reduce coal consumption and ramp up renewable energy investments. In contrast, Pakistan continues to expand its coal infrastructure despite being highly vulnerable to climate change. This reliance poses a conflict with its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement, where reducing emissions is critical for mitigating the adverse effects of climate change in the country
Position in the global economy:
Pakistan’s per capita income ranks 161st by GDP (nominal) and 138th by GDP (PPP) according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Population: The Population of Pakistan was 241.5 million people as of 2023.
Regional context: Pakistan’s regional context includes its location, infrastructure, and economic reforms:
Location:
Pakistan’s location at the intersection of South Asia, China, Central Asia, and the Middle East gives it the potential to be a hub for regional trade.
Infrastructure:
The Infrastructure of Pakistan is rapidly expanding
Economic reforms:
Pakistan is evolving its role in regional economic integration through economic reforms.
6. Conclusion:
Pakistan’s growing dependence on coal may bring short-term economic relief, but it creates long-term environmental damage. Global energy trends now favor cleaner, greener sources. Pakistan must reform its energy policies to support a sustainable future. The country needs to gradually cut coal gradually. This balanced shift can reduce environmental degradation and curb climate change .
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