Mari Petroleum Company Limited (MARI), one of the largest producers of natural gas in the country, has discovered gas reserves at Shewa-2 well, located in North Waziristan district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The development was shared by the company in its notice to the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) on Thursday.

“We are pleased to inform that Mari Petroleum Company Limited (MARI) has made a gas discovery at Shewa-2 appraisal-cum-exploratory well (in Waziristan block), located in North Waziristan district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province,” read a notice.

MARI is the operator of Waziristan Block with 55% working interest along with OGDCL and OPI as joint venture partners having 35% and 10% working interest, respectively.

MARI shared that the well was successfully drilled down to 4,577 meters on November 01, 2023, to appraise the Lockhart and Hangu formations, which were previously discovered at exploratory well Shewa1, as well as test the hydrocarbon potential of the well’s exploratory targets i.e. Samanasuk and Kawagarh formations.

“During the Drill Stem Test (DST) carried out in the Kawagarh formation (exploratory target), gas flowed at a sustainable rate of 0.607 million standard cubic feet per day (MMSCFD) at wellhead flowing pressure (WHFP) of 97 pounds per square inch (Psi) at 32/64-inch choke size,” added the company.

MARI said that the discovery in Kawagarh formation is in addition to the previously discovered hydrocarbon-bearing reservoirs i.e. Lockhart and Hangu in exploratory well Shewa-1.

“The appraisal of the Lockhart and Hangu Formations has confirmed the extension of hydrocarbon play in these formations. The Hungu formation was tested at a gas flow rate of 0.274 MMSCFD at WHFP of 77 Psi at 32/64-inch choke size.

“Further, the Lockhart formation in Shewa-2 well was tested (post-acid) at a gas flow rate of 51 MMSCFD and 391 barrels of condensate per day at WHFP of 5,972 Psi at 38/64-inch choke size,” it added.

Last month, MARI successfully drilled and tested a horizontal well in District Daharki, Sindh.

The company is an integrated oil and gas exploration and production company and around 70% exploration success rate, which is much higher than industry averages of around 33% national and 14% international.

MARI’s key customers include fertilizer manufacturers, power generation companies, gas distribution companies; and refineries.