LAHORE, Jan 23: The Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited may cut supply to power and fertilizer sectors again in the next two days if the cold wave persists and the Pakistan Petroleum Limited fails to restore full supply from the Sui Purification Plant.
According to SNGPL sources, the company started getting partial gas supply from the Sui field during the Eid holidays. The PPL, which owns the Sui field, ensured supply of 100 million cubic feet before Eid holidays according to its commitment.
It further supplied 100mcf on the Eid day and another 50mcf the next day (Saturday). Of the total loss of 480mcf, the PPL restored 250mcf, reducing the deficit to 230mcf, they said.
The PPL was still in the process of restoring different wells and connecting pipelines and it may take a few more days. Furthermore, the cold wave has substantially increased domestic demand of gas.
Sources said the company was hoping to get some relief during the Eid holidays because of reduction in industrial load and it started supply to power and fertilizer sectors, but the change in weather increased the domestic supply by almost the same margin.
"If the cold wave continues for another few days, the company may have to resort to load management." According to a contingency plan, the SNGPL would snap supplies to big units of fertilizer and power sectors.
These few units consumed over 300mcf and only by snapping the quantity can the company meet the increased (domestic) demand without disturbing small industry, sources said.
Besides, it was also hoping to get additional supply of 35mcf from the Ghurgari Gas field near Kohat in the next few days. The field might be able to further easy supplies if it started functioning in time. But if it did not come online and the cold wave persisted, the company might be compelled to curtail supplies to the Northern part of the Punjab and the NWFP, they said.
