SSGCL to provide gas to over 137 villages this year

ISLAMABAD: Sui Southern Gas Company Limited (SSGCL) will provide natural gas to over 137 villages of Sindh and Balochistan provinces during the current fiscal year.

"Under the PM's Global Sustainable Development Goals Programme, SSGCL is working to lay around 490 kilometers gas pipelines to gasify 119 villages in Sindh and 18 villages in Balochistan by laying 77 kilometer network lines," official sources in Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources told APP.

The company would spend Rs 1616.243 million in 119 villages of Sindh and Rs 630.043 in 18 villages of Balochistan for the purpose, they said adding that detailed engineering surveys were carried out in some localities while in some villages it had requested for approval of additional funds.

"All these projects are being executed on recommendations of Parliamentarians and notables of the areas for provision of gas," the sources said.

Answering a question, they said the two state companies - SNGPL and SSGCL - had laid around 6,129 kilometer transmission network in their operational areas during the last fiscal year.

"The companies laid 814 kilometer gas transmission network, 4,153 kilometer distribution and 1,162 kilometer service lines and connected 104 villages and town to gas network," they added.

The sources said the gas companies have provided 360,465 domestic, 339 commercial and 20 industrial connections across the country during the last year.

Besides, the companies invested Rs 17,925 million on transmission projects, Rs 11,183 million on distribution projects and Rs 14,925 million on other projects bringing total investment to about Rs 44,033 million.

Replying to a question, the sources said Pakistan has an extensive gas network of over 12,202 km transmission, 119,736 km distribution and 32,823 service gas pipelines to cater to the requirement of more than 8.4 million consumers across the country by supplying about 4 billion cubic feet per day natural gas.

To another question, they said the companies would set up over 60 Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG)-air mix plants in selected areas where natural gas supply does not exist.