Cambridge O Level Pakistan Studies: Power (2059)

Power is Section 3 of Paper 2, The Environment of Pakistan, in Cambridge O Level Pakistan Studies 2059. It asks where Pakistan’s coal, natural gas, crude oil and electricity come from, how each fuel reaches its users, and why supply still falls short in many parts of the country. Examiners expect labelled extraction diagrams, named fields and power stations, and a balanced judgement on each energy source.

Where does Power sit in the 2059 course?

Paper 2 (1 hour 30 minutes, 75 marks, 50% of the O Level) has eight sections, and you answer three 25-mark questions from a choice of five. Each question is built around resources such as maps, graphs, tables and photographs, and part (d) tests analysis. Power usually appears with a map of fields and power stations or a graph of the generation mix, so practise reading those as well as learning facts. It connects to Section 2 (water stored behind dams), Section 5 (industry needs cheap, reliable energy) and Section 6 (fuel is Pakistan’s largest import).

Syllabus coverage

CAMBRIDGE O LEVEL PAKISTAN STUDIES 2059, 2026 — PAPER 2, SECTION 3: POWER

• 3(a) Sources: describe with a simple diagram how coal is won by open cast, adit and shaft mining, and how gas and crude oil are found and drilled; the difference between renewable and non-renewable electricity; how hydel, wind, solar and other renewables (wave, tidal, biofuels, geothermal) generate power; why power matters for development
• 3(b) Non-renewables: the quality and amount of Pakistan’s coal, how long it may last, the coal types imported for industry, and how coal reaches users; gas output, reserve life, the pipeline network and supplying areas beyond it; oil output, reserve life, imports and why they are needed, the oil pipeline network and other carriers; thermal, nuclear and renewable generation; non-renewables running out and rising in price
• 3(c) Renewables: advantages and disadvantages of electricity from water, wind, wave and sun; conditions favouring multi-purpose hydel schemes; physical and human factors promoting or hindering supply, including small-scale renewables; why supply is not sufficient or reliable to develop many areas

How is each fuel extracted?

The syllabus asks for a simple diagram of each method, so practise drawing them quickly.

• Open cast mining: the overburden (soil and rock above the seam) is removed by excavators and the coal is dug from an open pit. It suits thick seams near the surface, which is why it is used at Thar Block II in Sindh. Label: overburden, seam, benches, spoil heap.
• Adit mining: a near-horizontal tunnel is driven into a hillside where a seam outcrops. It is used in hilly coal areas of Balochistan such as Duki and the Sor Range. Label: hillside, seam, adit entrance, drainage slope.
• Shaft mining: a vertical shaft reaches deeper seams, with horizontal galleries along the coal. Label: headgear, shaft, galleries, seam, ventilation.
• Oil and gas: seismic surveys locate folded rock structures (anticlines) where oil and gas are trapped under impermeable cap rock. A rig drills down, and the fuel flows up under pressure or is pumped. Label: cap rock, gas above oil above water, well.

What are Pakistan’s non-renewable resources, and how long will they last?

The figures below are approximate and change every year; quote them as dated estimates.

Fuel	Main sources	Approximate position (early-to-mid 2020s)
Coal	Thar (Sindh), Lakhra and Sonda (Sindh), Duki, Sor Range and Chamalang (Balochistan), Makarwal and the Salt Range (Punjab)	Thar alone is often quoted at around 175 billion tonnes, but it is lignite with high moisture and ash
Natural gas	Sui (found 1952), Mari, Qadirpur, Uch, Kandhkot, Sawan and Zamzama	Output of roughly 3.2 billion cubic feet a day in 2022–23 (Pakistan Economic Survey 2023–24) and falling; reserves often put at only a decade or two at current use
Crude oil	Potwar Plateau fields (Khaur, Dhulian, Toot, Meyal) and Lower Indus fields around Badin	Domestic output covers only around a fifth or less of national demand

Coal quality and imports. Most Pakistani coal is lignite or sub-bituminous, with low heat value and high sulphur. It is used mostly in brick kilns and in mine-mouth power stations at Thar, because it is uneconomic to haul. Better bituminous and coking coal for the steel and cement industries is imported, largely from South Africa, Indonesia and Australia, and landed at Port Qasim and Karachi. From there it moves by rail wagons and lorries; Balochistan coal mostly travels by truck.

Gas beyond the pipes. Two companies run the transmission network: Sui Southern Gas in Sindh and Balochistan, and Sui Northern Gas in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Many villages, and much of Balochistan despite Sui being there, are not connected. They use liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinders delivered by road, which cost more per unit, can run short in winter, and are risky if mishandled. Since 2015 imported liquefied natural gas (LNG) has been regasified at Port Qasim and fed into the network.

Oil imports. Transport, power stations and industry all need oil, while domestic fields are small and old. Pakistan therefore imports crude oil and refined products, mainly from Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Kuwait, by tanker. The White Oil Pipeline carries refined fuel from Port Qasim to Mahmood Kot near Multan, and older lines link Karachi to the north; the rest moves by rail tank wagons and a large fleet of road tankers, which add to road damage and accident risk.

How is electricity generated in Pakistan?

Pakistan’s installed capacity was about 42,000 MW in March 2024 (42,131 MW, Pakistan Economic Survey 2023–24, from NEPRA data), a mix of:

• Thermal: stations burning imported furnace oil, gas, LNG, and imported or Thar coal, such as the coal plants at Sahiwal, Port Qasim and Thar.
• Nuclear: the Chashma units near Mianwali and the K-2 and K-3 units at Karachi, which began operating in 2021 and 2022.
• Hydel: Tarbela, Mangla and Warsak, plus run-of-river schemes such as Ghazi–Barotha on the Indus and Neelum–Jhelum in Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
• Wind and solar: wind farms in the Jhimpir and Gharo corridor of Thatta district, and solar parks plus a fast rise in rooftop panels since about 2022.

Non-renewable fuels are running out and their world price rises and swings, so a high share of imported fuel makes electricity expensive.

What makes a good site for a multi-purpose hydel scheme?

Physical: a narrow gorge in strong, impermeable rock; a large reliable flow from snowmelt and monsoon rain; a wide valley upstream to store water; low risk of earthquakes and landslides. Human: capital (often loans from the World Bank or other lenders), engineering skill, demand for power and irrigation water downstream, and few people to resettle. A scheme is multi-purpose when it stores irrigation water, generates power and helps control floods. Diamer–Bhasha and Dasu on the upper Indus were under construction in the mid-2020s; both show the cost and silting problems such schemes face.

Why is electricity supply still unreliable?

Demand rose with population, cities and industry; costly imported fuel left some stations idle; hydel output drops in winter when rivers are low; high transmission and distribution losses and unpaid bills created “circular debt”; and remote villages in Balochistan, Thar and the northern mountains are far from the grid. Small-scale schemes, such as micro-hydel on Chitral and Gilgit-Baltistan streams or solar home systems, can be more feasible there than extending lines.

Frequently asked questions

Why does Pakistan import coal when Thar holds so much? Thar coal is lignite with high moisture, so it is best burned beside the mine to make electricity. Steel and cement need higher-grade coal, which is imported by sea.

What is the difference between installed capacity and supply? Installed capacity is what power stations could produce. Actual supply is lower when fuel is unaffordable, rivers are low or the grid loses power, which is why load-shedding happens.

Which renewable source suits remote villages best? It depends on the place: micro-hydel suits fast mountain streams in the north, while solar suits sunny, scattered settlements in Balochistan and Thar.

Do I need exact figures for reserves and output? You need approximate, dated figures, because the syllabus asks how much is produced and how long reserves will last. Quote the year with each figure.

Related resources

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

Official syllabus

Cambridge Assessment International Education, Cambridge O Level Pakistan Studies 2059 syllabus for examination in 2026, Paper 2 Section 3 Power: https://www.cambridgeinternational.org/Images/697282-2026-syllabus.pdf (checked 2026-11-08). Production and capacity figures are approximate and dated; check the latest Pakistan Economic Survey for current values.