KARACHI: Special Assistant to Prime Minster on Power and Petroleum Tabish Gohar on Tuesday said that the current gas crisis is temporary and a major improvement in supply is expected within two to three days.

A major LNG shipment has arrived which will be transmitted and distributed through the Sui Southern Gas Company Limited (SSGCL) system, Mr Gohar said while speaking to the business community at the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI). Repair and maintenance works at gas fields were “mandatory and unavoidable”, he added.

According to a press release issued by the apex body, FPCCI President Mian Nasser Hyatt Magoo demanded immediate resumption of gas supply to Karachi’s industry.

“The industry has suffered unbearable losses due to the closure of gas supply to all industrial areas of Karachi,” he added.

The Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) and all town associations put forward a unanimous charter of demands pertaining to the gas crisis in the country.

Chairman of Businessmen Group Zubair Motiwalla said the industry was paying up to 40 per cent more than international competitors and yet it was not getting enough gas supply. Urging an investigation, he said the government should look at exports and tax collection numbers of Karachi and give due preference accordingly.

Gas production

In Sindh, industries and the CNG sector are suffering because of the annual turnaround of Kunnar Passaki Deep (KPD) gas field as claimed by the SSGCL.

As a result, the SSGCL has been facing a gas shortfall of 160mmcfd in its system due to which the CNG stations had been closed down from June 22 to July 5, 2021 followed by massive industrial gas load shedding.

According to Head of Research at Arif Habib Limited (AHL) Tahir Abbas, gas production fell by 1.7pc during June 16-22, 2021 to 3,319mmcfd from 3,377mmcfd during June 9-15, 2021.

He attributed decline in gas production to continuous fall in gas production from Mari Field due to the annual turnaround at FFC-11. He said production from OGDC was also lower followed by an annual turnaround of the KPD gas field.

Mr Abbas said gas production from KPD field plunged by 15.4pc to 120mmcfdd from 141mmcfd while gas arrival from Mari gas field had plummeted by 2.5pc to 690mmcfd from 708mmcfd.

Gas production from Uch and Qadirpur fields plunged to 404mmcfdd and 188mmcfd from 413mmcfd and 192mmcfd, down by 2.1pc and 2.5pc respectively.

A decline of 36.2pc was recorded from the Maramzai gas field to 79mmcfd from 124mmcfd while Bhit field faced a marginal fall of 1.1pc to 54mmcfd from 55mmcfd.

Meanwhile, the SSGCL on Tuesday said that due to current supply side issues emanating from annual turn around (maintenance) of gas fields, the gas utility is managing load by implementing the Pakistan’s Gas Load Management Plan under which top most priority is given to domestic and commercial customers followed by other categories.

SSGC categorically denied reports of gas load shedding anywhere in its franchise area. Some pocket neighborhoods may be facing temporary shortages due to inflow of reduced volumes of gas from the gas fields owned by E&P companies, the utility said.

Similarly, some areas are undergoing pressure profiling and may be facing pressure and supply issues especially during the night time, the company added.

Published in Dawn, June 30th, 2021