ISLAMABAD, Jan 31: A consortium led by OMV of Austria has increased total gas sales from Sawan gas field in Sindh province by about 18 per cent to 400 million cubic feet per day from 340 mmcfd.

A statement issued by OMV said here on Wednesday that this increase was made through plant modifications and further drilling of wells. So far, the joint venture has invested about $350m in overall field development, it said.

Sawan gas field is located in Sindh in the central Indus basin about 500-km from Karachi. The share of OMV which is operator of the field has increased from 110 million cubic feet per day to about 120 mmcfd when production from another field Miano is also taken into account. The field was discovered in 1998 and started supplies to the gas distribution system in 2003.

With this, OMV has become the biggest international natural gas producer in Pakistan in terms of operated volumes, the statement said. As the operator of Sawan and Miano gas fields as well as the Kandanwari processing facilities, OMV is now responsible for operating more than 100,000 barrels of oil equivalent (BOE) per day or 600 mmcfd.