Thar Engro Coal Power Project

Engro Powergen Thar Coal Plant (Thar Block II)
Location of the Thar Engro Coal Power Project in Sindh province.
Official name	Thar Coal Block II
Country	Pakistan
Location	Tharparkar district, Sindh
Coordinates	24°26′02″N 70°10′25″E / 24.4338°N 70.1736°E / 24.4338; 70.1736Coordinates: 24°26′02″N 70°10′25″E / 24.4338°N 70.1736°E / 24.4338; 70.1736
Status	Construction and commission
Construction began	2014
Construction cost	$1.13 billion USD
Owner(s)	Engro Powergen Thar Ltd.
Thermal power station
Primary fuel	Lignite Coal
Power generation
Nameplate capacity	660 MW

The Thar Engro Coal Power Project (Thar-ll) is a coal-fired power plant under construction in Tharparkar District, Sindh, Pakistan 25 kilometers from the town of Islamkot near the village of Singharo-Bitra. The project is being developed as part of the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor by Sindh Engro Coal Mining Company (a joint venture between the government of Sindh and Engro Corporation) and China Machinery Engineering Corporation in the Thar Block-II of the Thar Coalfield.

In May 2008, the Government of Sindh invited proposals for the development of Thar Coal reserves through a public private partnership basis. The Sindh Engro Coal Mining Company (SECMC) was formed as a joint venture between Government of Sindh (GoS) and Engro Corporation in October 2009 in order to develop of mining at Thar Coal Block II of the Thar coalfield. In May 2013, a power company in the name of Thar Power Company Ltd. (THARCO) was incorporated as a subsidiary of SECMC with the mandate to develop the first power project based on coal mined by SECMC. As per the JV agreement, Engro is responsible for Project Management and Financing, while GoS for Infrastructural Development and attaining requisite consents and approvals for the project.

The first phase of the project will yield 660 megawatts of electricity, with subsequent phases eventually increasing power generation capacity. The consortium will also develop an adjoining open cast coal mine capable of producing up to 3.8 million tons of coal per year at depths of 135 meters as part of the first phase of the Thar-II Project. The first phase is expected to be completed by early 2019 at a cost of $1.95 billion, with the mine itself costing $789 million.