THE land area of Pakistan has extensive sedimentary geology, which also has a potential for oil and gas discovery. Every year, the 12 largest exploration companies in Pakistan drill only 50 exploratory wells, which is minuscule for a country the size of Pakistan.

The two largest gas producers in Pakistan are Oil and Gas Development Corporation and Pakistan Petroleum Limited. These public sector companies should be asked by the federal government to collectively drill 100 exploratory wells every year.

This initiative should result in new discoveries and also increase indigenous gas and oil production. Onshore hydrocarbon discoveries can be quickly brought into production, and can reduce the high energy import bill of Pakistan.

Javed Akbar

Karachi

Published in Dawn, May 22nd, 2019