All out efforts are on for addition of an estimated 200 mmcfd gas to the system from various sources including new discoveries, abandoned fields, marginal and flared gases.

The senior officials of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources, state-run oil and gas companies and representatives of Pakistan Petroleum Exploration and Production Companies Association in a recently held meeting discussed the criteria, zonal distribution and pricing of gas from abandoned fields, marginal gases and flared gases. They were directed by the Dr Asim Hussain to make all out efforts to prepare policy/guidelines for these gases so that additional gas is inserted into the system.

An expected 200 mmcfd gas is estimated to be added from these sources. According to sources, the estimated domestic gas shortage has reached 1.6 billion cubic feet (BCF) per day mark. At present country’s total gas production stands at 4.3 billion cubic feet or BCF against total demand of 6 BCF.

The consumers on the system of Sui-Northern Gas Pipelines  (SNGPL), especially in Punjab are facing up to one BCF shortage of gas as a result the management has been forced to cut gas supply to the industrial sector of Punjab for 5 and half days a week, besides three-day gas suspension for the Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) stations.

Natural gas is playing a dominant role which constitutes over 50 per cent of ‘the country’s total energy mix, Pas from power houses to household each sector largely depends on the supply of gas.