PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is the largest oil and gas-producing province in the country and possesses vast untapped energy reserves, particularly in the merged districts, says provincial minister for energy and power Nazir Ahmad Abbasi.

He was chairing a review and introductory meeting on the performance of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Oil and Gas Company Limited (KPOGCL), a subsidiary of the Energy and Power Department, according to a statement issued here on Sunday.

The minister said the merger of the former tribal districts had opened new avenues for investment in the minerals and hydrocarbons sectors.

“Economies around the world run on oil and gas, and the history of our province shows that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is the country’s largest oil and gas-producing province,” he said, adding that the merged districts contained oil and gas reserves worth billions of dollars.

Mr Abbasi said the provincial government was taking concrete steps to promote the province’s prosperity and development, particularly the merged districts, through the sustainable utilisation of natural resources.

Energy and Power Secretary Nisar Ahmed, senior departmental officials and KPOGCL Chief Executive Officer Nasir Khan attended the meeting.

During a briefing, additional secretary of oil and gas Noor Wali Khan informed participants that work was underway on 38 oil and gas exploration and production projects across the province.

He said oil and gas production was continuing on 11 blocks, including Nashpa, Tal, Kohat, Baratai, Wali, Waziristan, Baska, Dhakani and Dhok Sultan, generating billions of rupees annually from the extraction of natural resources.

Mr Khan said exploration activities were also in progress on nine blocks, including Nowshera, Wali West, Tirah, Orakzai, Gorglot and Pezu.

He told the meeting that KPOGCL, in partnership with the Oil and Gas Development Company, had discovered oil and gas at the Dhok Hussain well in the Baratai block in 2018. Commercial production commenced in June 2020 following the installation of production facilities, while production from a second well, Siyab, began in January 2022.

According to the briefing, the provincial government receives approximately Rs800 million annually in royalties from the project, while KPOGCL earns Rs130 million each year.

Published in Dawn, June 8th, 2026