YOUR editorial 'Gas cuts' (Dec 14) again reminds us of our serious predicament with reference to our energy scenario. You rightly conclude that we need immediate solution to our energy woes and that this will not be possible unless the government evolves a clear plan of action to fill the energy gaps.

It has been widely covered in both the print media and technical seminars that we are wasting enormous quantities of natural gas in spite of our energy woes and yet we find that the authorities, both in private and public sectors, are not really taking any action to conserve, though the country is suffering due to gas shortages.

How is it that most industries and large commercial building complexes are wasting enormous gas in producing steam/hot water for process and direct fired and auxiliary fired absorption chillers for central airconditioning when there is a clear directive to only allow gas to (efficient) cogeneration systems.

Gas sanctioned for efficient cogeneration systems are being consumed in most inefficient processes and yet SNGPL seem to be helpless. Worse still, gas sanctioned for kitchens are being misused in large commercial buildings to produce power without efficient cogeneration.

How can all this wastage of this scarce fuel continue on one side, with no action from SNGPL, and then we complain of 'gas cuts'!

We need to understand that conservation is the most economical option as imported natural gas, either in the shape of LNG or through ever vanishing cross country gas pipeline, will be so expensive that we will not be able to afford this impact on our fragile economy.

And this is where our trade and industry associations need to get together to commit themselves to urgent conservation measures as they are the worst sufferers on one side and the worse perpetrators on the other side.

How is it that we will not use best available technologies and yet expect the best source of energy in the shape of our environment friendly cheap natural gas supply.

The myopic decision to allow car petrol engine conversion to CNG by the last government has been very harmful. Not only is this conversion inefficient in terms of energy utilisation, but is reducing supply to industries (where jobs are created). It's a case of providing subsidy to an undeserving sector, though this consumes only 10 per cent of total gas supply.

Our gas tariff is only 1/3rd of international prices and we should only provide our subsidized precious gas to efficient processes, and CNG for cars should not qualify for such subsidies. We should enforce energy conservation policies as at the earliest. There are thousands of applications in industrial and commercial sectors which, if converted to efficient processes, would greatly help in increasing our gas supply.

It is good news that work on Thar coal gas is now progressing well, though we have lost much time. It will, hopefully, be proven in another year that coal gasification based thermal power generation is technically viable and economically attractive and this will, in the next few years, take away the pressure of supplying gas to utility power plants and thus have more natural gas available for industries.

But until that, we have to accept energy conservation as the only option, starting with efficient utilisation of our natural gas.

AAZA Karachi