ISLAMABAD: The state-owned Pakistan Petroleum Limited (PPL) on Monday announced a “pioneering” gas and condensate discovery from its operated exploratory well, Dolphin X-1, at Sirani Block in Sindh’s Sujawal district.

“This is the first-ever hydrocarbon discovery from Jurassic-age Chiltan Formation in Lower Indus Basin, opening up a new hydrocarbon play” in hitherto “untapped, challenging frontiers”, one of the country’s top oil and gas producers said in a statement.

With the discovery, PPL said it had “opened up a new exploration frontier across onshore marshy area and its possible extensions into shallow offshore”, enhancing the prospects for shallow offshore exploration in Pakistan.

“This area was long considered inaccessible for exploration due to its challenging geographical location and marshy terrain,” it added, highlighting that it was the first exploration and production (E&P) company to overcome this terrain via specialised transition equipment to acquire seismic data.

The development converts a formerly unexplored frontier area into a proven petroleum play, it added.

“Dolphin X-1 was spud on April 17, 2026 and drilled down to 3,850m MD depth to test the hydrocarbon potential of Chiltan Formation. Hydrocarbon bearing zone was identified based on the drilling results and acquired wireline logs data,” the statement read.

During the testing, it said that the formation flowed “good quality gas, with a heating value of 1000 British thermal units per standard cubic foot (Btu/scf) at a rate of 0.942 million standard cubic feet per day (MMSCFD) of gas, at Wellhead Flowing Pressure of 211 pounds per square inch gauge (psig) at a 32/64-inch choke”.

Sirani Block is operated by PPL with 75 per cent Working Interest (WI), along with joint venture partner Government Holdings Private Limited (GHPL) with 25pc WI, it said.

The well was drilled and tested by utilising indigenous expertise and discovered a new hydrocarbon play within Chiltan Limestone, the statement said.

The PPL noted that preliminary results of geological, geophysical and engineering test data suggested that the reservoir had a “tight” nature. However, it acknowledged that it needed to be confirmed based on further evaluation of Geological and Geophysical (G&G) and Reservoir Engineering data collected during the drilling and testing process.

The company, in the statement, also appreciated the “far-reaching vision” of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, implemented under the “able leadership” of Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik, which it said enabled exploration in untapped and challenging frontiers.

It also acknowledged Pakistan Navy’s “invaluable” support throughout the project.