THAR COAL FIELD

Distance from Karachi :  410 Km  
Total Area :                       9,000 sq. Km
Coal Reserves:                175.506 Billion Metric Tons

The Thar coalfield with a resource potential of 175 billion tonnes of coal covers an area of over 9,000 sq km in the Thar Desert in Thar Parkar district, in southeastern part of Sindh. The investigated area is covered by stable sand dunes and there are no rock exposures. To establish the coal resources in six selected blocks a total of 237 holes were drilled. The coal resources of the area within clastic sediments ofthe Bara Formation of Paleocene age. The measured reserves are over 2,357 million tonnes, indicated millions tonnes and inferred 1,362 million tonnes.

Technical details of Thar Coalfield Blocks

The number of coal seams varies from hole to hole and a maximum of 20 seams have been logged in some of the drill holes. The thickness of coal seams ranges between 0.21 to 22.81 meters. The cumulative coal thickness varies and attains a maximum of 36 meters in one of the drill holes. Clay stone and loose sand beds form the roof as well as the floor-rock of coal seams. The overburden consists of three kinds of material; dune sand, alluvium and sedimentary rocks. The thickness of the overburden varies from 114 to over 203 meters. The sand dunes above the average ground level in the area will also add another 30 meters of thickness to the overburden.

Chemical analyses of coal samples from the drill holes show that the weighted average of as received values of the Ash content ranges between 5.14 and 6.56 %, Volatile matter 26.50 and 33.04 %, Moisture 43.24 and 49.01 %, Sulphur 0.92 %, 1.34 % and 1.3% and Heating Values range between As Received 5,780 and 6,398 Btu/lb, Dry10,723 and 11,353 Btu/Lb MMM Free 6,101 and 6,841 Btu/lb, DAF 11605 and 12,613. The Volatile Matter Dry Ash Free (DAF) basis varies between 57.72 and 60 % the rank of coal is Lignite B to Lignite A.

Characteristics of Thar Coal Fields

Moisture % 
Volatile Matter % 
Fixed Carbon % 
Ash % 
Sulphur % 
Calorific Value (Btu/Lb) 
Rank 
46.8
23.4
16.7
6.2
1.2
5,774
Lignite 'B'


Isopach map of Thar Coalfield, Sindh
Stratigraphic Map

 

Thar Coal Resources
S.No.
Block
Exploration Licence
Classification System
Period
Total Drill Holes
Surface Area (SqKm)
Reserves
(million tonnes)
Measured
Indicated
Inferred
Total
1
I
Avialable GSP-GESCR
1994-1995
41
122
620.42
1918.06
1028.4
3566.91
Rheinbraun Engineering (Germany)-USGS
2003
30
40
588.035
403.351
11.934
1003.32
2
II
SECMC GSP- GESCR
1994-1995
26+17
55
640
944
-
1584
Engro- USGS
2010
113
79.6
1216
1021
114
Engro- JORC-AusIMM
2010
113
79.6
425
1392
423
2240
3
III-A
Cougar Energy GSP- GESCR
1995-1996
41
99.5
412.75
1337.01
258.28
2008.04
4
IV
Avialable GSP-USGS
1996-2001
42
82
684.09
1711.28
176.14
2571.51
5
V
UCG Project CNCGB-GESCR
2005-2006
35
63.5
637
757
-
1394
6
VI
Oracle Plc CNCGB-GESCR
2005-2006
35
66
762
893
-
1655
JORC
2008
7
66
653
770
-
1423
7
III-B
Avialable GSP-GESCR
2007-2008
14
76.3
225.94
938.91
288.33
1453.18
8
VII
Avialable DRD-USGS
2008-2009
52
100
572.28
1514.51
89.15
2175.95
9
VIII
Avialable DRD-USGS
2008-2009
58
100
882.81
2131.36
21.68
3035.85
10
IX
Avialable DRD-USGS
2009-2010
50
100
661
2048
152
2861

 

 

  Copyrights © Sindh Coal & Energy Department,GOS 2010. All Rights Reserved. Home     |   Officials   |   Contact Us  
Powered by Spatsol Technologies