ISLAMABAD: With the government focus on new coal-fired power plants to solve country’s power shortage, Pakistan International Bulk Terminals, (PIBT), stands to gain as the first coal terminal in the country, says a press release issued here on Monday. Recently listed on the Karachi Stock Exchange PIBT was the highest traded scrip on Friday as market interest peaked in this stock. Given 6 new 660 MW power plants announced in Punjab and several conversions of old power plants and new ones being planned in Sindh, from K Electric to Jamshoro, Coal demand in Pakistan is poised to grow exponentially. Each new 660 MW power plant requires 6 million tons of coal annually- PIBT is ideally placed to take advantage of this build out and up gradation as it will come on line in 2016 at the same time as the first of these new coal fired power plants come on line boosting coal demand in the county. Pakistan already currently imports on average 5 million tons of Coal for the last 5 years, mostly for the cement industry. However, power generation from coal for the country coal is less than 2% currently of total power generation. This is in great contrast with most developed economies such as the US or China where 40 to 60 percent or more of energy need is met through coal. With indigenous coal from Sindh’s Thar region still not available for several years imported coal will be key item for these new plants. Even when Thar coal comes on stream several years from now as low quality lignite coal Thar coal is not feasibly transportable to the new power plants. The ideal use for Thar coal will be mine mouth power plants which will generate power on site. With no other coal handling facilities in the pipe line, though new bidding tenders are in the process of being prepared, PIBT will have the first mover advantage in this space.. Currently Karachi Port Trust handles most of the coal import of the country but not as a modern, up to date, dedicated facility. Instead die coal is handled by self-craned ships for unloading and then the coal is shoveled into trucks for transportation. PIBT’s new design and efficient equipment will be able to handle this entire process more quickly and at significantly lower cost than current handling. Added to the massive new demand of coal coming up in the country and first mover advantage, smart investors know that the success of the company is guaranteed. —PR