All set to get hands on shale gas deposits

ISLAMABAD: Spurred by growing energy needs and steady depletion of producing hydrocarbon resources, government is also diverting resources to get hands on shale gas deposits in the country which are over 10,000 trillion cubic feet(TCF).

The public sector company-Oil and Gas Development Company Limited(OGDCL) and Pakistan Petroleum Company Limited(PPL) have been tasked to carry out a pilot project, drilling first Shale gas well in four months in a part of Sindh.

The project is being launched following a study conducted in cooperation with USAID, confirming availability of 10,159 trillion cubic feet (TCF) Shale gas and 2,323 billions of stock tank barrels (BSTB) Shale oil in place resources, across the country, says an official source.

Elaborating, the source said analysis of 124 wells were carried out including laboratory analysis on Shale Cores and Cuttings in the United States.

"The Shale gas is a new phenomena worldwide and so far only US Shales have been proved as commercially viable and Shale Gas Exploration and Production is capital extensive about 10 times higher than conventional oil and gas," the source observed.

However, the source added horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing technology which was used for shale gas exploration, was available in the country and already being used for conventional and tight gas reservoirs.

The source also said the government had so far awarded 46 new petroleum exploration licenses, which was a record performance in the country's history.

During current tenure of the government, a record 227 wells had been drilled which resulted in 65 new oil and gas discoveries.

"Around 560 MMCFD of additional gas and 27,000 BOPD of oil have been injected in the system so far," he said adding that by virtue of these discoveries, so far over one TCF of gas and 16 million of barrels of new oil reserves had been added to the system.

For the first time in the country's history, "domestic oil production has touched the highest level of 100,698 BBL per day of oil on 7.12.2014."

Pakistan, he said, was a gas prone country and 48 percent of its energy mix requirements were met through indigenous gas supply.

Currently the country, he said, was producing 4.16 BCFD gas, which was not sufficient to meet the ever increasing demand. "There is a gap of around 2 BCF gas between the indigenous supply and constraint demand.