Additional Secretary Mines and Mineral Department Sindh Dr Abdul Rauf Siddiqui has said that the government of Sindh is playing a vital role in developing natural resources especially coal.

Miners of Barapukuria Coal Mine Company Ltd (BCMCL) and workers of 250-MW Barapukuria Power Plant urged the government yesterday to form a strong monitoring team to keep an eye on these two state-run giant projects to prevent any corruption by BCMCL and the power plant officials.

They alleged that the officials of BCMCL and the power plant are using the projects for their personal gains.

Bangladesh, where natural gas reserves are falling while demand for power is rising fast, will not allow new power plants that cannot use both gas and coal, Finance Minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith said on Sunday.

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah has asserted that the Thar Coal and Energy Board is the only notified legal and authorised body to exercise all powers for deciding matters relating to mining and power generation from Thar coal.

He said this while presiding over a high-level meeting held here at the Chief Minister

Power generation from renewable sources such as wind turbines, solar cells and biomass plays a small but important part in satisfying total electricity demand around the world, and is growing at an exponential rate thanks to generous public subsidies and government support.

National Committee to Protect Oil, Gas, Mineral Resources, Electricity and Port yesterday demanded the government to solve the electricity, gas and coal problems.

The committee made the demand from a procession at Mohammadpur in the city yesterday.

Energy experts believe Sri Lanka should now tap all possible renewable energy sources to cut down on the use of fossil fuels which comes to the country at a high price.

"Our economy will fall behind if we continue spending on foreign oil and coal every year," said Executive Director Energy Forum Ashoka Abeygunawardane at a recent workshop in Colombo.

Mahesh Kulkarni & Ravi Menon / Bangalore May 12, 2009, 1:12 IST

GMR Energy, a subsidiary of Bangalore-based infrastructure company GMR Infrastructure Ltd, is planning to set up a 2,000-Mw thermal power plant near a port on the west coast. The company has already tied up coal supplies by acquiring a mine for $100 million in Indonesia last year.

An impasse over coal-fired power plants in Kansas has ended, with the new governor, Mark Parkinson, agreeing to allow construction of a large coal plant in the western part of the state. A Kansas utility, Sunflower Electric, had hoped to build two large coal plants.

China plans to close 15 gigawatts (GW) of small coal-fired power generators this year, as part of measures to improve energy efficiency and reduce pollution, the National Development and Reform Commission said on Monday.

If the goal is achieved, the country will close a total of nearly 50 GW by the end of this year that had been planned for the five years through 2010.