Cambridge IGCSE Pakistan Studies: Power — Revision Notes

These notes condense Section 3 Power of Cambridge IGCSE Pakistan Studies 0448 Paper 2. You need to know how fossil fuels are extracted and transported, how electricity is generated, the case for and against each renewable source, and why many parts of Pakistan still lack a reliable supply. Use the tables for recall, then test yourself with the practice page.

Syllabus coverage

0448 Paper 2, Section 3 Power (2026 syllabus)

• 3(a) Sources: extraction of coal (open cast, adit, shaft) and of oil and gas (exploration, drilling); renewable versus non-renewable; how renewables generate electricity; power and development
• 3(b) Non-renewables: coal quality, reserves, imports and transport; gas production, reserves, pipelines and supply beyond the pipelines; oil production, imports, pipelines and other transport; thermal and nuclear generation; rising prices and depletion
• 3(c) Renewables: advantages and disadvantages of water, wind, wave and solar power; conditions for multi-purpose hydel schemes; factors promoting or hindering supply, including small-scale schemes; why supply is insufficient and unreliable

Key terms

Term	Meaning
Non-renewable	A source that cannot be replaced once used (coal, oil, natural gas)
Renewable	A source that is naturally replenished (water, wind, sun, waves, tides)
Hydel	Hydro-electricity: power from falling or flowing water turning turbines
Thermal power station	Burns fuel (coal, oil, gas, waste) to make steam that drives turbines
Open cast mining	Removing the overburden to dig a seam from the surface
Adit	Horizontal tunnel into a hillside to reach a coal seam
Shaft mine	Vertical shaft sunk to reach a deep seam
LPG	Liquefied petroleum gas, carried in cylinders to places without a gas pipeline
LNG	Liquefied natural gas, imported by sea and regasified at a terminal
Multi-purpose scheme	Dam that provides hydel power, irrigation storage and flood control
Load-shedding	Planned power cuts when demand exceeds supply
Transmission losses	Electricity lost on the wires between power station and user, including theft

Key facts to learn

Coal

• Largest reserves: Thar coalfield, Sindh, mined open cast.
• Quality: mostly lignite, high in ash, moisture and sulphur, with low heat value.
• Best used in power stations at the mine; costly to transport far.
• Coking coal for steel making is imported by sea to Karachi, then moved by rail and road.

Natural gas

• First major field: Sui, Balochistan (1952); other fields in Sindh and Balochistan.
• Pipelines carry gas to the main cities of Sindh, Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
• Off-pipeline areas use LPG cylinders, which cost more, depend on road transport and run short in winter.
• Falling domestic output has led to LNG imports through Port Qasim.

Oil

• Domestic fields: Potwar Plateau and Sindh, which meet only a small share of demand.
• Most crude oil and products are imported, mainly from the Gulf states.
• Transport: tanker to Karachi, then pipeline inland to Mahmood Kot, plus rail and road tankers.
• Imports put pressure on the balance of trade when world oil prices rise.

Electricity

• Thermal: oil, gas, coal; nuclear at Chashma and near Karachi.
• Hydel: Tarbela (Indus), Mangla (Jhelum), Warsak (Kabul).
• Wind: Gharo–Jhimpir corridor, Sindh. Solar: Quaid-e-Azam Solar Park near Bahawalpur.

Renewables: advantages and disadvantages

Source	For	Against
Hydel	No fuel cost; irrigation and flood control	High capital cost; silting; low winter flow; resettlement
Wind	Free fuel; no emissions	Variable output; remote sites need new transmission lines
Solar	High sunshine; suits off-grid villages	Night-time gap; battery cost; dust on panels
Wave/tidal	Long coastline	Undeveloped, expensive, needs expertise

Conditions for a multi-purpose hydel scheme

• Physical: narrow, deep valley in strong rock; large, reliable river flow; space to store a large reservoir; low earthquake risk where possible.
• Human: capital (often foreign loans); engineering skills; demand for irrigation water and power downstream; transmission lines to markets; few people to resettle.

Why is supply unreliable?

1. Demand growing faster than new generating capacity.
2. Dependence on imported, expensive fuel.
3. Hydel output falls in winter as rivers run low.
4. High transmission and distribution losses, including theft.
5. Remote areas (Balochistan, mountain north, Thar) are far from the grid.

Solutions to quote: small-scale micro-hydel in mountain valleys; village solar; more wind farms in Sindh; reducing line losses; using local Thar coal instead of imported fuel (but note the pollution trade-off).

Worked example

Question: Explain why natural gas is not available to everyone in Pakistan. [4]

Model answer: The pipeline network mainly links gas fields in Sindh and Balochistan with large cities, so many villages and hill areas are not connected [1]. Building pipelines across mountains and deserts to scattered settlements costs too much for the small demand [1]. These areas rely on LPG cylinders, which must be carried by road and cost more [1]. Supply also runs short in winter when household demand for heating rises and domestic production is falling [1].

Common mistakes and exam traps

• Muddling adit and shaft. Adit = horizontal into a hillside; shaft = vertical.
• Calling hydel “free”. The fuel is free, but building costs and silting are major drawbacks.
• Generic answers. “Solar is good because it is clean” scores little. Say why it suits Pakistan (high sunshine, scattered villages) and give a limitation.
• Forgetting the evaluation. The final part of a question often asks you to assess. Weigh both sides and give a conclusion.
• Quoting figures without a year. Production and reserve figures change; always give the year.

Frequently asked questions

Which three dams must I know? Tarbela on the Indus, Mangla on the Jhelum and Warsak on the Kabul River. These appear in Section 2 (water) and again as hydel sites in Section 3.

Is nuclear renewable? No. Nuclear power uses uranium fuel, so it is non-renewable, but it produces little carbon dioxide.

What is the difference between LPG and LNG? LPG comes in cylinders for homes away from pipelines. LNG is natural gas cooled to a liquid, imported by ship and turned back into gas at a terminal.

Related pages

• Power study guide
• Power practice questions
• Natural Resources revision notes

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