The Express Tribune reported that the red and blue interconnected pipeline network, with a state of the art infrastructure right in the heart of desert is not what one expects to see in the Thar desert. At first sight, it gives the impression that some multinational corporation is drilling oil in the sands of Thar.

But this complex network of pipelines is in fact the work of Pakistani scientists and engineers who are working on the Underground Coal Gasification project, designed to generate cheap electricity. After the successful experiment of extracting gas in December 2011, the beaming team of scientists is confident that it will successfully produce 100 MWs of electricity through a pilot project by the end of 2013.

The project had been subjected to considerable skepticism, with many suggesting that the country simply did not have the expertise to run such a complex project. Others argued that Pakistani coal may not be suited for gasification. The scientific team at Thar, however, believes they have proven their critics wrong. In December 2011, they successfully light the first chimney using the coal, an achievement that took about a year's worth of effort.

Mr Muhammad Shabbir, the head of the team in Thar, said that the project is running on the right track and will be able to produce 100 MW of electricity in the desired period.

Mr Shabbir, a nuclear scientist by training, said that his team can produce over 2 billion cubic feet of gas by replicating its current model. That amount is equal to the current shortfall of gas in Pakistan. He added that "If we get USD 1.1 billion in funds, we can end the present gas shortage in the country."

His team is working on Block V in Thar, a 64 square kilometer area that is estimated to have about 1.4 billion tonnes in coal reserves. Mr Shabbir estimates that his team can use those reserves to generate about 10,000 MWs of electricity for about 30 years.

The team claims that their costs will be some of the cheapest in the world because the underground coal gasification process does not require the coal to be mined. Meanwhile, the advent of a team of nuclear scientists working on solving the country's energy crisis appears to have been good for the neighborhood. The project team has set up a water pump that can supply up to 600 liters of water per minute to the neighboring villages, saving them the trouble of giving to look for water for their own consumption and for their crops and animals.

(Sourced from www.tribune.com.pk)