Coal of Thar, gas added to energy mix: PM

Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has said that the country is diversifying its energy mix to overcome prevailing energy shortage. Addressing the two days concluding ceremony of Annual Technical Conference on Oil and Gas here on Thursday, the Prime Minister said that the government has added domestic coal of Thar, gas, and renewable energy to energy mix.
The Prime Minister said that Pakistan recorded a higher growth rate of 5.3 percent in 2016-17, which has increased energy requirement of the country, adding that the government is seriously trying to overcome this challenge.
He observed that the last four-and-a-half years proved to be historic for the energy sector of Pakistan as the country had replenished its reserves by successfully making around 100 discoveries. However, he said that a lot more is yet to be done as the country would require more energy to achieve its growth targets. He hoped that the conference would have helped the participants point out the opportunities and challenges in the E&P sector of the country.
He said that Pakistan has become a growing energy market because of the government's attractive policies which have also been recognized by the world. The Prime Minister hoped that foreign firms participating in the conference would avail the opportunities of partnership. He said that Pakistan looks forward for greater efforts in E&P sector as more discoveries meant lesser import for the country.
He also visited the pavilions set up by the exhibitors to showcase their products as well as their achievements. Chairman of the Conference Syed Wamiq Bukhari said that the conference has become a historic event with the record number of participants with 20 first time participants, adding that out of all the participating firms, two-third companies are multinational.
Appreciating the government's decision on import of the LNG, he said that the country needs to adopt all avenues for exploration. He claimed that almost 90 percent of country's area is yet to be unexplored and called for further efforts to explore opportunities like shale gas and other resources.
Minister of State for Petroleum Jam Kamal also accompanied the Prime Minister. The conference was organized by the Society of Petroleum Engineers and Pakistan Association of Petroleum Geo-Scientists that was participated by exploration and production (E&P) companies, service companies, regulatory authorities and academia. As many as 35 exhibitors and 1,500 local and foreign oil and gas experts attended the conference.