A 3-member delegation from Japanese Itochu Corporation has met Petroleum and Natural Resources Minister Amanullah Jadoon and discussed investment potential in hydrocarbon and coal projects, according to an official statement. Welcoming the Japanese delegation, the Minister said Pakistan has 175 billion tones of coal deposit in Thar area of Sindh province and sought Itochu Corporation's cooperation in coal-based power generation and gasification projects. He said that the government was taking concrete steps for exploiting the untapped oil and gas deposits in 6,27,000 sq km sedimentary areas in order to meet the growing energy need of Pakistan. Jadoon said that the government was also working on the gas and LNG imports from the neighboring countries to sustain the above 7% per annum GDP growth rate of the country. The Chief Executive of Itochu Corporation appreciated the investor-friendly policies being pursued by the government of Pakistan in the oil and gas sector. The delegation evinced keen interest in coal power generation gasification refineries and trans-national gas projects.
