LAHORE: The Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited has restored supply to one of the two main industrial zones in Punjab, as Qadirpur gas field has resumed routine operations earlier than expected, providing the company with much-needed breathing space.

SNGPL acting managing director Arif Hameed said at a press conference on Saturday that supply to the industrial zone-I, comprising Lahore, Sahiwal and Sheikhupura, was restored at 6am. The zone consumes about 200 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd) of gas which is 60 per cent of the industrial load on the SNGPL’s distribution system.

Mr Hameed said industries in zone-II, comprising Faisalabad, Multan, Bahawalpur, Islamabad and Gujranwala, would start getting supply at 6am on Monday.

He said the CNG sector would return to three holidays a week on Monday, but the SNGPL would try to bring it down to two-and-a-half days.

The company has also started supplying gas to two independent power plants (IPPs) and two fertiliser plants. Supplies to the rest of three IPPs and the fertiliser sector will be restored over the next few days.

On the directives of Petroleum Minister Asim Hussain, the Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL) has agreed to reduce the annual turnaround span of the Qadirpur gas field from the traditional 20 days to eight days. About 133mmcfd gas started flowing from the field on Saturday -- the fifth day of the annual turnaround. The supply is expected to hit 400mmcfd by Monday.

Mr Hameed said that a campaign against gas theft and defaulters would be launched on Monday. SNGPL officials have been authorised by the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) to file the gas theft case before judicial magistrates without involving police.

Earlier, the SNGPL had announced gas curtailment of 20 days (Aug 29 to Sept 16) because of the annual turnaround of Qadirpur gas field, which was to result in shortfall of 400mmcfd from Aug 29 to Sept 7 while there was to be a shortfall of 250mmcfd from Sept 8 to Sept 17.

In may be mentioned that the All Pakistan Textile Mills Association had requested the petroleum minister to reduce the Qadirpur shutdown period to five days so that the industry did not suffer much.