In response to a surge in complaints from households across Pakistan, the federal government has directed gas utilities to take urgent action to alleviate supply pressures. The move comes as severe cold weather grips the nation, significantly increasing demand for natural gas for heating and cooking.
Minister's Directive for Domestic Relief
Federal Minister for Petroleum, Ali Pervaiz Malik, chaired a high-level meeting on Thursday with officials from Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL), Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC), and the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA). The minister took serious notice of the widespread complaints regarding gas shortages faced by domestic consumers during peak winter conditions.
An official statement revealed that Minister Malik stressed the government's top priority was to provide relief to household consumers. He instructed the Sui companies to ensure maximum facilitation for the public. To strengthen oversight, Malik directed that weekly reports on gas demand and supply must be submitted to the Petroleum Division, backed by rigorous daily monitoring at the operational level.
Supply Boosts and Monitoring Measures
Officials informed the minister that a detailed report on the gas supply situation from the previous 24 hours is already being presented to the Petroleum Division daily at 10 am. This allows for timely corrective measures to be implemented.
During the briefing, the Managing Director of SNGPL provided concrete data on supply improvements. He stated that gas supply had been increased from 691 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd) to 746 mmcfd since January 6. A key contributor to this boost was the enhanced production from the Shiva gas field, which was raised from 55 mmcfd to 65 mmcfd.
Similarly, the Managing Director of SSGC reported that the supply situation in its network had improved following the restoration of output from two gas fields. He highlighted that an additional 39 mmcfd was being supplied to domestic consumers compared to the same period last year.
Exploring All Avenues for Household Priority
Minister Malik instructed officials to leave no stone unturned in finding solutions to reduce pressure on households. A critical instruction was to examine the feasibility of diverting additional gas from the industrial sector to domestic consumers wherever possible during the critical winter period.
In line with this, the SSGC MD informed the meeting that consultations were already underway with industrial stakeholders. The talks focus on the possibility of increasing weekly industrial gas shutdowns from one day to two days to further prioritize gas for household consumption during the intense cold spell.
The government's intervention underscores the severe impact of the winter season on Pakistan's gas distribution network and its commitment to shielding the public from the worst of the shortages.
