Country can produce an estimated 10,000 megawatts of electricity from geothermal energy recourses. Briefing the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Petroleum & Natural Resources, which met under the chairmanship of Chaudhary Bilal Ahmed Virk, Pakistani scientist and Managing Director Geological Survey of Pakistan (GSP) Javed Ahmad said that geothermal energy is much cheaper as compared to other power generation methods, besides its one-time cost.
He added that at present electricity through geothermal energy is being produced in many countries of the world, adding that Turkey is producing 5,000MW, America 2,000MW and even countries like Ethiopia produces 9MW of electricity through geothermal energy resources.
He said that ideally the government can undertake geothermal energy related projects in Balochistan, Azad Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan, Sindh, parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab. He said that electricity can be generated at the cost of US 5-10 cents per unit depending upon different locations of the power plants.
According to Javed, the geothermal power production reduces the threats of earthquake as the power is produced by using the underground energy. The standing committee agreed in principle to include geothermal energy project in Public Sector Development Programme 2017-18.
Geothermal energy in the form of hot water, steam springs, geysers and underground hot aquifers is available in the world including Pakistan. Geothermal energy is used for electricity generation, space heating and cooling of buildings, supply of hot water, green houses, fish farming and setting up of small industries requiring heat.
The world’s geothermal energy resources are 80 times more than all the known oil reserves in the world. Based on the recent estimates, the total geothermal energy potential available in the world can exceed the present electricity generation. Geothermal energy resources have been identified in 90 countries of the world which are using these resources.
The research of Javed Ahmad was acknowledged by the US experts, during the US-Pakistan Clean Energy Business Opportunities Conference, held on December 1-2, 2015 in Washington, DC.
Javed Ahmad told the committee that he has been working on the evaluation of clean geothermal energy resources of Pakistan for the last five years and has presented his research in the international forum, adding that due to his efforts, geothermal energy for power generation has been recognised as clean renewable resource available in Pakistan.
“The US experts have acknowledged my research according to which the presence of hot water and steam, springs, fumaroles and geysers have been identified in Northern Himalayas,” Javed said. The research has identified mud volcanoes, hot geothermal fluids in Balochistan province. The research has also pinpointed hydrocarbon basin related co-produced geothermal waters with temperature of 80-170 degrees centigrade in Sindh. In addition, there are 300 dry, depleted and abandoned oil and gas wells which can be used for geothermal energy development.
Javed also offered his services to immediately generate 5,000MW electricity and provide heating and cooling of the federal, provincial, defence and diplomatic buildings from geothermal energy available in Pakistan to reduce energy shortages and saving oil and gas resources to be used for other industries.
The meeting was attended by Federal Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, MNAs Muhammad Afzal Khokhar, Rana Afzaal Hussain, Mian Tariq Mehmood, Rana Muhammad Ishaq Khan, Khalid Javaid Warraich, Imran Khattak, Abdul Waseem, Sajid Ahmed, and Shahjehan Muneer Mangrio, Secretary M/o P&NR and senior officers of the concerned departments.
