PCJCCI urges lignite coal export

LAHORE: Pakistan China Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCJCCI) on Wednesday asked the government to boost export of lignite coal and facilitate miners with modern technology, saying Pakistan has large reserves of the coal, but lack of technology and modern methods hinder in tapping potential export opportunities.

“China has imported lignite coal worth $8 billion in 2021 from countries other than Pakistan,” PCJCCI chief Wang Zihai said. Pakistan could attract Chinese importers towards its lignite coal with the use of modern technology, he added speaking to a think tank session.

Coal is widely used for cheap electricity producing sources, which currently generating 36 percent of the world’s electricity, Zihai said.

Pakistan should get maximum advantage of its available coal for cheap electricity generation, he emphasised.

He was of the view that it’s high time for Pakistan to adopt a safe and balanced approach to exploit its vast coal reserve for power generation with least damage to the environment to overcome energy shortfall without burdening the economy.