Oracle Power PLC’s (LON:ORCP) resource on Block VI at Thar in Pakistan has been officially recognised as a potential coal gasification into fertiliser project.
Pakistan is estimated to face a fertiliser shortage of 2.6Mtpa by 2026-27 and the use of lignite, via the gasification process, to produce urea can help to address the shortfall.
Block VI's inclusion was noted in the minutes of meeting between representatives of both governments on the China-Pakistan economic corridor, with both sides expressing a desire to undertake a feasibility study for further evaluation.
State-owned organisations in both Pakistan and China have expressed interest in providing technical and financial support for a gasification project, said Oracle.
Any such project would run in parallel with Oracle’s plans for a coal-fired power station Thar as the resource is large enough at 529Mt to accommodate both.
Naheed Memon, Oracle’s chief executive, said the initiative highlights that the Thar project is one of Pakistan’s primary coal gasification into fertiliser assets.
“This initiative has the potential to have a transformational impact on food security in Pakistan and the acknowledgement of Block VI in this regard, alongside its existing prominence as an integrated mine-power plant project, is, in the Board's view, a hallmark moment for Oracle.”