Mari Petroleum Company Limited (MARI), one of Pakistan’s largest petroleum exploration and production company, announced the discovery of gas reserves from its exploratory well in Sindh on Monday.

In a notice sent to the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX), the company said that Mari “has made a gas discovery at its exploratory well Mari Ghazij-1, located in Mari D&PL in Sindh Province”.

Mari, the operator of Mari D&PL with 100% working interest, shared that the well was spud-in on November 24, 2022 and successfully drilled down to the depth of 1,015 meters.

“The gas flow rate established through Drill Stem Test (DST) is 5.1 million standard cubic feet per day (mmscfd) with Wellhead Flowing Pressure (WHFP) of 232 pounds per square inch (Psi) at 64/64 inch choke size.

“The company plans to appraise the discovery to prove its extent and, in parallel, evaluate its development options,” added the notice.

The discovery comes as Pakistan faces an energy crunch as its reserves continue to deplete, while the country struggles to obtain fuel cargoes.

Last month, Al-Haj Enterprises (Pvt) Limited, an exploration & production (E&P) company, discovered gas and condensate reserves in Dera Ismail Khan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, said the Ministry of Energy.

Earlier, Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL) had announced the discovery of oil and gas from its exploratory well Kot Nawab-1 and another development-cum-exploratory well Chak-5 Dim South-3, located in District Sanghar, Sindh.