Introduction to Power Resources of Pakistan
Power resources play a vital role in the industrial and economic development of a country. Pakistan is blessed with these powerful resources. These power resources are as follows:
Thermal or Thermo Electricity:
Thermal energy is commonly used in our country, Coal, oil, and gas are used to produce thermal electricity. But we cannot depend on these resources as the deposits of coal, oil, and gas are limited in Pakistan.Easy to Setup: Thermal power stations are easy to set up.
Expensive: Although, they are easy to set up general cost is very high.
Production: About 58% of the electricity is produced by thermal resources.
Places: Thermal power stations are established at Tharparkar Sindh, Faisalabad, Kot Addu, Rohri, Jamshoro, Hyderabad, and Karachi.
Hydro-Hydel Electricity:
Hydro Electricity is produced through the water of the rivers.Expensive Setup: The hydel electricity station is an expensive business to set up.
Low-cost Production: Although, the setups are expensive to build but the cost of production is quite less.
Production: About 42% of the electricity is produced through water resources.
Places: The hydroelectricity power projects are located at Tarbela, Mangla, Warsak, and Ghazi Brotha dams.
Atomic or Nuclear Energy:
Uranium, which is a heavy grey radio-active metallic element, is used for the production of Atomic energy.Places: In Pakistan, two atomic powerhouses are working. One is in Karachi and the other is at Chashma. Another is being created at Chashma.
Uses of Atomic Energy:
- Atomic energy is used to provide cheap electricity to consumers.
- It is used for agricultural research also.
- It has a destructive purpose too.
Solar Energy:
The energy gained from the sun is free of cost and has unlimited resources. About 200 MW of solar energy is received each day throughout the world from the sun. It is about 60,000 times the total productive capacity of all powerhouses of the world.Methods of Obtaining Solar Energy:
- It is stored in solar cells
- It is stored in solar boilers through mirrors.
Places: The solar power resources are too expensive still small units have been set up at Khurkhira, Malmari, Dittal Khan, Hoot, and Nasirabad.