Cambridge IGCSE Pakistan Studies: Power (0448)

Power is Section 3 of Paper 2 (The Environment of Pakistan) in Cambridge IGCSE Pakistan Studies 0448. It asks how Pakistan obtains coal, crude oil, natural gas and electricity, how these are moved to users, why supply falls short of demand, and whether renewable sources can close the gap. Exam questions reward simple labelled diagrams of extraction methods, named examples, and balanced evaluation of each energy source.

Where does Power fit in 0448 Paper 2?

Paper 2 has eight sections: the land of Pakistan; natural resources; power; agricultural development; industrial development; trade; transport and telecommunications; and population and employment. Power links closely to the sections either side of it. Water from Section 2 drives the hydel stations covered here, and industry in Section 5 depends on a reliable, affordable power supply. The syllabus also asks candidates to apply four themes across every section: the problems and opportunities of a developing country, effects on the environment and conservation, sustainable development, and feasibility studies. Power questions use all four.

Syllabus coverage

CAMBRIDGE IGCSE PAKISTAN STUDIES (0448), 2026 — PAPER 2, SECTION 3: POWER

(a) Sources

• Describe, with a simple diagram for each, how coal is obtained by open cast, adit and shaft mining, and how natural gas and crude oil are obtained by exploration and drilling
• The difference between renewable and non-renewable sources of electricity
• Brief explanation of how electricity is generated from renewables (hydel, wind, solar, and others such as wave, tidal, biofuels, geothermal)
• The importance of power sources for development

(b) Non-renewables

• Quality and amount of Pakistan’s coal, how long reserves may last, and the types of coal imported for industry; how home-produced and imported coal reaches users
• How much natural gas Pakistan produces, how long reserves may last, the extent of the gas pipeline network, and how gas reaches areas away from pipelines (and the limits of this)
• How much oil Pakistan produces and imports, why large imports are needed, the oil pipeline network and other transport methods
• Electricity generation in thermal stations (coal, oil, gas, waste), with nuclear energy, or with renewables; non-renewables are running out and rising in price

(c) Renewables

• Advantages and disadvantages of electricity from water, wind, wave and sun
• Physical and human conditions favouring multi-purpose hydel schemes
• Factors that promote or hinder the availability of electricity and other power, including the feasibility of small-scale renewable generation
• Why electricity supply is not sufficient or reliable enough to develop many parts of Pakistan

How are coal, oil and gas extracted?

You must be able to draw and label a simple diagram for each method.

Method	How it works	Where it suits
Open cast	Overburden is stripped away and the seam is dug from the surface	Seams near the surface; large reserves such as the Thar coalfield
Adit	A horizontal tunnel is driven into a hillside to reach a seam	Seams exposed on valley sides, e.g. in the Salt Range
Shaft	A vertical shaft is sunk to reach deep seams, with horizontal galleries	Deep seams; costly and more dangerous
Drilling for oil and gas	Seismic surveys locate trapped deposits; a rig drills a well, and oil or gas rises under pressure or is pumped	Sedimentary basins such as the Potwar Plateau and Sindh

A labelled diagram earns marks for showing the seam or reservoir, the cap rock or overburden, and the route the fuel takes to the surface.

What are Pakistan’s non-renewable power resources?

Coal. Pakistan has very large coal reserves, most of them in the Thar coalfield in Sindh, but most local coal is low-grade lignite with high ash, moisture and sulphur content. It burns with low heat output, so it suits power stations built at or near the mine rather than long-distance transport. Higher-quality coal, including coking coal for iron and steel making, is imported and arrives by sea at Karachi’s ports, then moves inland by rail and road. Older mining areas include Lakhra in Sindh and the Salt Range in Punjab.

Natural gas. Gas was discovered at Sui in Balochistan in 1952, and other fields have since been developed in Sindh and Balochistan. A trunk pipeline network carries gas to the cities of Sindh and Punjab and to Peshawar, but many rural and hilly areas are not connected. Gas reaches them as liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) in cylinders, which is more expensive and supply can be irregular. As domestic output has fallen behind demand, Pakistan has imported liquefied natural gas (LNG) through terminals at Port Qasim.

Oil. Pakistan produces some crude oil, mainly from the Potwar Plateau and Sindh, but this meets only a small part of demand, so most crude oil and refined products are imported, mainly from the Gulf. Imports are needed because transport, industry and power stations all use oil, and domestic fields are small. Oil arrives by tanker at Karachi, is refined there or carried inland by pipeline to the refinery at Mahmood Kot near Multan, and the rest travels by rail tanker and road tanker.

Your textbook figures for production, reserves and years remaining will change from edition to edition. Learn the latest figures your teacher gives you, and always quote them with a year.

How is electricity generated in Pakistan?

Electricity comes from three groups of sources:

• Thermal power stations burn oil, gas, coal or waste to raise steam that drives turbines.
• Nuclear power stations use the heat from nuclear fission; Pakistan’s plants are at Chashma in Punjab and on the coast near Karachi.
• Renewables: hydel (Tarbela, Mangla and Warsak, plus run-of-river schemes), wind (the Gharo–Jhimpir corridor in Sindh) and solar (for example, the Quaid-e-Azam Solar Park near Bahawalpur).

Why are multi-purpose hydel schemes built where they are?

Physical conditions: a narrow, deep valley in hard rock for a dam site; a large, reliable river flow fed by snowmelt and monsoon rain; a large basin upstream to store water. Human conditions: capital, often from international lenders; technical expertise; demand for both irrigation water and electricity downstream; land that can be flooded with the fewest people resettled. “Multi-purpose” means the scheme stores water for irrigation, generates electricity and helps flood control.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of renewable power?

Source	Advantages	Disadvantages
Hydel	No fuel cost; also stores irrigation water and controls floods	Very high building cost; silting cuts capacity; low output in winter when river flow falls; people displaced
Wind	No fuel cost or emissions; steady coastal winds in southern Sindh	Output varies with wind speed; needs transmission lines from remote sites
Solar	Very high sunshine hours across Pakistan; panels suit off-grid villages	No output at night; storage batteries are costly; dust lowers panel output
Wave and tidal	Coastline offers potential	Not yet developed at scale; high cost and limited technical expertise

Why is electricity supply not reliable in many parts of Pakistan?

Demand has grown faster than generating capacity. Power stations depend on costly imported fuel, hydel output drops in winter, and losses on the transmission and distribution network are high. Remote areas of Balochistan, the north and the Thar desert are far from the grid, so connecting them costs a great deal. This is why load-shedding (planned power cuts) is common and why small-scale schemes, such as micro-hydel on mountain streams or village solar systems, can be more feasible than grid extension.

How to approach Power exam questions

• Describe questions: name a source, a place and a fact.
• Explain questions: link a cause to an effect with “because” or “so”.
• Evaluate / assess questions (often the final part): give advantages and disadvantages, refer to Pakistan, then reach a judgement.

Frequently asked questions

What diagrams do I need for 0448 Power? Open cast, adit and shaft coal mining, and drilling for oil and gas. Keep them simple, but label the seam or reservoir and how the fuel reaches the surface.

Why does Pakistan import coal when it has large reserves? Most local coal is low-grade lignite. Industries such as iron and steel need higher-quality coking coal, so that has to be imported.

What is a multi-purpose scheme? A dam project that does more than one job, usually generating hydel power, storing water for irrigation and controlling floods. Tarbela and Mangla are examples.

Do I need exact production figures? The syllabus asks how much is produced and how long reserves will last, so learn up-to-date approximate figures from your course materials and quote the year.

Related pages

• Power revision notes
• Power practice questions
• Natural Resources study guide
• The Land of Pakistan study guide

Source: Cambridge International, Cambridge IGCSE Pakistan Studies 0448 syllabus for examination in 2026, Paper 2 Section 3 Power.