The Qadirpur gas field which supplies up to 460 MMCFD gas to Sui Southern Gas Pipeline (SNGPL) and the country's second largest gas field, covering most areas of the country will remain closed from August 28 for one month. Sources in the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources told Business Recorder that due to annual maintenance work of the gas field the management has decided to close it from August 28 to September 27.
Sources added that the gas filed was producing around 460 million cubic feet gas per day (MMCFD). Qadirpur Gas Field is one of the major gas reserves of Pakistan. The field is located at a distance of 8km from Ghotki in Sindh province. The field is a joint venture between Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL), Kuwait Foreign Petroleum Exploration Company Pakistan B.V. (KUFPEC), PKP Exploration Limited (PKPEL, a subsidiary of Premier Oil Plc) and Pakistan Petroleum Limited (PPL).
Pakistan's current daily gas requirement is around 6.50 Billion Cubic Feet (BCF) against current supply of 4 BCF, which means that Pakistan at present faces a shortage of 2.5 BCF. The mid-term and short-term solution to solve the problem is to import LNG and LPG.
Sources further said that in the winter season there would be an additional shortage of gas of one BCF. "This indicates that in upcoming winter Pakistan's total gas demand would touch 7.5 BCF and supply would remain at 4 BCF. The situation is quite alarming as the government would have to cut supply of gas to industries and other users, which would add to the woes of already suffering industry", the officials maintained.
About the current gas crisis the sources said that due to law and order situation across the country no new exploration activity has taken place. While old gas and oil fields' production is declining with each passing day. Sources in SNGPL said that due to closure of the Qadirpur gas field from August 28, the gas shortage will increase in SNGPL's system by around 460 MMFCD for the next one month. The closure of Qadirpur gas field would affect the domestic sector, industrial, fertiliser and CNG sectors. At present the gas supply to industrial sector remains suspended for two days in Punjab and CNG sector two and half days in Punjab and two days in Sindh province.