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Country to face serious gas shortage next year: official

ABDUL RASHEED AZAD ISLAMABAD: The country is expected to face serious gas shortage in the coming winter which, accord
Published October 18, 2012

gas-pipe 400ABDUL RASHEED AZAD

ISLAMABAD: The country is expected to face serious gas shortage in the coming winter which, according to a Petroleum Ministry official, would reach 1.5 billion cubic feet (BCFD) per day by January next year.

 

A senior official of the Petroleum Ministry told Business Recorder here on Wednesday that the people should be ready to face unprecedented gas load-shedding in the coming winter.

 

He  claimed that the country was currently facing its worst-ever gas crisis, which was the result of the expanding network of the Sui-Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) and Sui-Southern Gas Company (SSGC) on the recommendation of the Prime Minister secretariat to oblige parliamentarians.

 

The current gas production in the country is over 4.3 Billion Cubic Feet per Day (BCFD), whereas the managed demand is around 6 BCFD. Gas demand during winters increases because of increases in consumption by the domestic sector.

 

“At present, industrial sector is getting five days gas supply per week while CNG industry gets four days a week and gas supply to the fertilizer sector is suspended since January this year. There would be four to five days of gas curtailment for industrial sector, while the gas supply to the fertilizer sector would not be restored,” he said.

 

Expressing the hope that the situation would improve by the end of 2013 as some 800 Million Cubic Feet (MMCFD) gas from local resources would be added to the system in addition to the start of the supply of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) in 2013, he added.

 

Annually, the SNGPL was laying 5,000-kilometre-long pipeline network, connecting new villages and towns. “Both the gas utilities are facing political pressure for giving the gas connections on the recommendations of the parliamentarians.”

 

The official claimed that Pakistan was expediting theconstruction of Iran-Pakistan (IP) Gas Pipeline Project. “The route survey of IP Pipeline Project has been completed. We have also purchased land for the gas pipeline project. The Tender of the Project would be issued soon after the completion of legal formalities. As a long-term step to overcome the gas shortage, we are also working on TAPI gas pipeline project and the supply of gas would start by 2016,” he said.

 

To accelerate development of local gas resources, the government would offer 60 blocks for bidding under the Petroleum Policy 2012 for exploration and production of oil and gas, he maintained.

 

He said that the share of gas in energy mix in Pakistan was largest in the world: it was 51 percent of the total mix. He said that CNG fuel was introduced in the country in 1998 which within a short spam of time became the most favoured fuel for motorists and at present “some 4 million vehicles are being run on CNG”.

 

Other factor contributing to widening the gap between demand and supply “are continuous increase in gas demand, depletion of existing gas resources and insufficient / disproportionate addition of gas from existing and new sources”.

 

“The shortfall for the current year ranges between 668 MMCFD and 1,061 MMCFD which is going to increase to around 3,038 MMCFD by 2015. “

 

He alleged that the Ministry for Water and Power was also responsible for the gas crisis, saying that it was unable to build any notable hydel power units in the last few years; resultantly gas was being utilised for power generation too.

 

He also said that the government was planning to bring CNG prices at par with petrol prices and in this connection, the Petroleum Ministry was taking necessary steps, adding \ legislation was needed in this regard, adding that currently, CNG prices were linked with policy decisions.

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