KOHAT, Dec 1: A Hungarian oil and gas exploration company has discovered gas reserves in the Hangu district of the Thall block. Earlier, Messrs MOL had discovered oil and gas reserves in the areas of Guguri known as Manzali-I, Sam named as Manzali-II, and Makori in the Karak district.

The elders of the Adam Khan village threatened the MOL team that it would not be allowed to shift the euquipment to a new site unless they signed an agreement with them that the village would be supplied gas on a priority basis. The elders demanded that the district administration should also sign the agreement as guarantors.

From the Gurguri area, MOL found 1 trillion cubic feet of gas reserves and from Makori more than 4,300 barrels are daily sent to Attock refinery. The company has already started commercial supplies from Manzali-II.

Meanwhile, the production from the Shakardarra oil and gas fields operated by the Oil and Gas Development Corporation (OGDC) will be doubled in the next six months after commissioning of the Mela plant where huge reserves have been discovered recently.

The Mela plant is being constructed by Siemens and is expected to be completed by middle of the next year, said Ijaz Ahmed, an OGDC manager.

He said the OGDC was pumping 5,000 barrels of oil and 15 million cubic feet of gas from the Chanda fields daily.

He said that construction of a gas pipeline in Shakadarra town was near completion and supply would start soon within a 5km radius of the plant, which would cost Rs40 million.