Power Resources

By:Daood Aqeel
Types of Coal:
Anthracite:Best Quality of coal containing the highest amount of Carbon content
and burns with great heat. It is found in thin layers very deep underground

Bituminous: Steam Coal: A superior blackl, hard coal found in highly compressed
seams and burns with readily heat and has lower carbon content than Anthracite.
Coking Coal: Burnt to produce coke which is a hard grey, porous material used for
the extraction of iron in Blast Furnaces

Lignite: A lower Quality coal with a high moisture and ash content and has a lower
heating value

Peat: Mostly vegetative matter and represents the initial stage of coal formation
 Transport of Coal of coal from coal mine:

● After the extraction of coal from the coalface, it is loaded and trolleys which
run on a track which leads from the mine to the outside surface.
● Once the coal is out of the mine, the qualities are separated and sold to the
middleman, who further loads it and trucks and supplies it to the brick kilns
and cement factories.
● Gasification
Oil Prospecting and drilling:
● Once the drilling site has been selected, a derrick ir a drilling rig is set up
● The derrick is dismantled after the oil has been found and the drilling rig is
replaced by pipes and valves which control the flow of oil.
Location of Oil Refineries:
● Oil refineries are located in or near the oil fields for example : Attock Refinery
located on the Potohar Plateau at Morga
● Oil refineries are also located at the port of import for example: Pakistan
Refinery and the National Refinery are located in Karachi
Uses of Oil:
● Source of Power
● As a lubricant
● Petrol for cars, Aircrafts and Diesel for Buses, Rail Engines
● Uses of By products:
1. Wax
2. Detergent
3. Furnace oil
4. Synthetic Rubber
5. Pharmaceutical products
 Transportation of Oil:

● Through Sea: Transported in special ships called oil tankers which is berthed
at the designated oil pier at Port Keamari or Port Qasim. Through the pier the
ships connected to the oil handling system and the oil products crude or
refined are pumped from the oil tanker ship to the oil marketing companies.
● Transport by Land: by road tanker, by pipeline, by rail tanker.
Anticline Oil trap:
Natural Gas:
● Found in oil bearing rocks above oil, these rocks have millions of tiny holes
● Above this rock is a non porous rock which trap the rock underground.
● Soon after the discovery in 1952 at Sui Balochistan by PPL, a pipeline to
Karachi was completed to provide cheap fuel to Industrial city
Nuclear Energy:
● Karachi Nuclear power plant
● Chashma Nuclear power plant
HEP
● Best developed in mountainous regions
● Where precipitation is adequate and there is a steep slope of gradient
Solar Energy
● Using the energy of sunlight, solar power is used in several ways, one way is
to collect it in solar cells ( photovoltaic cells )
● In Pakistan there is enough potential for solar power as there are 200-300
sunny days a year
Wind power:
ADVANTAGES:

● A renewable resource ( it will never deplete )

● Environmentally friendly unlike fossil fuels
● Utilized independently and can be deployed locally in rural and remote areas
● Locations are far away from local grid
● Available in a wide range of sizes depending on the requirement

DISADVANTAGES:

● Expensive thus increasing the burden on the economy

● The Strength of the wind is not constant and varies from Zero to Storm force
● Wind turbines can kill birds and bats
● Does not produce enough electricity
Geothermal potential:
● Pakistan seems to have Geothermal potential as a plate margin passes
through Pakistan and it lies in an EarthQuake Zone
● Pakistan has a potential of commercially exploitable sources of Geothermal
energy in the Himalaya region and Chagai area in the Balochistan Plateau
Problems of Power resources:
● Many of the plants aren't working to their full potential due to financial
restraints and lack of technical and maintenance facilities.
● During the winter, HEP decreases with the reduced flow of water in the
Rivers
● Long Transmission lines cause loss of Electricity
● Siltation in the reservoirs of dams also causes Disruption in Electricity
generation by reducing the flow of water
● Power theft occurs on a large scale
● High Price of Fossil fuels increases the cost of Electricity generation
Rural Electrification:
● Tubewells can be used for Irrigation, helps control waterlogging and salinity
● Small-scale industries can be developed to provide Employment and to meet
the demand for industrial goods
● Standard of living increases and people can use electrical appliances
● People receive the electronic media and access information Technology
Economical Importance of Power Resources:
● All Industrial Plants, excluding cottage industries uses power in processing
raw material, Power Shortages reduces production and increases the cost of
Production therefore lowering GDP
● Modernization of Agriculture is heavily dependent on power resources, tube
wells run by electricity
● Power resources are used in the exploration and extraction of metallic and
non-metallic minerals.
● If power resources are produced locally then dependence on imported power
resources is reduced
● Power resources play a key role in the modernization of society, all IT devices
and electrical appliances run on Electricity produced by power resources
Sustainable development:
● Development of renewable resources of energy by using Advanced
Technology
● The non-productive use and wastage of power resources must be checked
strictly
● Public Awareness programme should be introduced through media
● Protection of environment by enforcing strict laws through environment
protection agencies
● Marketing of power resources to be done in a way which will avoid
non-productive uses
● Faulty and damaged transmission lines should be replaced in an emergency
basis to avoid losses of Electricity