Local POL production dips 6.3pc in 10 months of 2018-19

ISLAMABAD: The overall production of petroleum commodities has witnessed a decrease of 6.34 percent during first 10 months (July-April) of the current fiscal year as compared to corresponding period of 2017-18.

According to the data of Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, the POL products that showed negative growth include Jet Fuel Oil, Kerosene Oil, High Speed Diesel, Furnace Oil, Jute Batching Oil and Solvant Naptha, posting decrease of 8.83 percent, 2.01 percent, 7.15 percent, 11.47 percent, 12.62 percent and 28.7 percent respectively.

However, the production of Motor Spirit oil has increased by 6.99 per cent, Diesel oil 28.07 per cent, Lubricating oil 12.14 per cent and Liquefied Petroleum Gas 22.75 per cent during the period under review.

On year-on-year basis, the petroleum production has decreased by 9.14 per cent during April 2019 as compared to the output of April 2018.

According to the Annual Plan 2019-20, the production of crude oil remained 21.86 million barrels against target of 32.50 million barrels showing 67.26 percent achievement during first eight months of the current fiscal year.

While, the government has fixed domestic crude oil production of 29.39 million for the next fiscal year.

Meanwhile, an official at the Petroleum Division told APP that the government was making all-out efforts to achieve self-sufficiency in oil refining sector.

Elaborating the government efforts, he said Byco Oil Pakistan Limited (Byco) had established an Oil Refinery at Hub, Balochistan, having capacity to purify 120,000 Barrel Per Day (5 million tons/annum) at a cost of $ 400 million.

Whereas, Byco has also installed Single Buoy Mooring (SBM) facilities for transportation of imported Crude Oil and petroleum products from ships to the storage tanks. The capacity of said facility is 12 M. tons per annum.

Similarly, Attock Refinery Limited (ARL) has started producing Euro-II (0.05 % Sulphur HSD), besides it installed isomerization plant and enhanced the production of Motor Gasoline.

While, Pakistan Refinery Limited (PRL) has installed isomerization plant in 2016 and since then it has doubled production of Motor Gasoline.

Whereas, Pak Arab Refinery Limited (PARCO) is implementing its Coastal Refinery project at Khalifa Point, near Hub, Balochistan with an estimated cost of over $ 5 billion.. It would be a state of the art refinery, having capacity of 250,000 barrels per day (over 11 Million tons per annum).