Pakistan minister says cannot provide uninterrupted gas due to depleting reserves

Pakistan’s Minister of State for Petroleum Musadik Malik has said that the government cannot ensure a 24/7 supply of natural gas citing depleting reserves. The statement comes during the month of Ramadan when there is a rise in demand for gas in the country, reported Dawn.

In a meeting with members of the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) in Karachi, Musadik Malik highlighted that Pakistan’s gas reserves were dropping by 10 per cent every year. “We have only 1,600 MMCFD of gas left for the entire country while the demand is on the rise,” he added.

The minister said they are working to make sure that the gas supply remains uninterrupted during suhoor and iftar. He denied reports that natural gas was being diverted to Punjab from Sindh and attributed the shortage to the supply of gas to the domestic sector of Balochistan, the report added.

Stating that the government will try to prioritise gas supply to poor households, the minister informed that new connections will not be provided.

According to Musadik Malik, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is the only province in Pakistan to have gas in surplus. He said while Sindh too had surplus a few years ago, today it is facing a shortage due to high demand.

He said that the issue of gas load shedding in the industrial sector could be addressed by using a blend of natural gas and RLNG.

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