Pakistan oil reserves grow 6% on new discoveries, gas reserves decline

Oil prices climb over 3% in Middle East after US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites
Oil prices climb over 3% in Middle East after US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s oil reserves grew 6% over the final six months of 2025 as new discoveries outpaced production by a ratio of 2.2 to 1.

Remaining recoverable oil reserves rose to 253 million barrels as of December 2025, up from 240 million barrels in June, the report said. Total oil production during the period was 12 million barrels, according to a report released by Topline Research.

The Baragazi field led the gains, contributing 21 million barrels of oil reserves from two formations. State-owned Oil and Gas Development Company (OGDCL) holds a 56% stake in the field, with Pakistan Petroleum Limited (PPL) holding 26%.

Other notable oil additions included Bitrism East, which added 1.18 million barrels, and Maramzai, which added 1.10 million barrels.

Natural gas reserves, however, declined 1% to 18,854 billion cubic feet as of December, down from 18,981 billion cubic feet in June. Despite the drop, new discoveries by OGDC at Baragazi and Bitrism East added 85 billion cubic feet and 39 billion cubic feet of recoverable gas, respectively.

The Tal Block contributed 70.13 billion cubic feet of gas and 2.62 million barrels of oil. Smaller fields including Barki, Dhok Sultan-3 and Chakar collectively added 1.43 billion cubic feet of gas and 0.73 million barrels of oil.

Analysts said the report highlights a mixed outlook: robust oil reserve replacement but continued pressure on natural gas reserves due to ongoing production and slower discovery rates.

Meanwhile, Oil & Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL) has discovered oil at its Bobi Deep-1 exploratory well in District Sanghar, Sindh province, the company announced Wednesday.

The well tested at a rate of 2,000 barrels of oil per day and 1.1 million standard cubic feet of gas per day. OGDCL holds a 100% working interest in the Bobi and Dhamraki Mining Lease.

The company re-entered the well on May 3, 2026, and drilled to a total depth of 3,305 meters using in-house technical capabilities. Testing targeted the Lower Goru Formation, a massive sand unit.

OGDCL said the discovery marks the first hydrocarbon find from the Massive Sand play in the area and reduces exploration risk for similar prospects in the surrounding region.

The company added that the discovery is expected to help narrow Pakistan’s energy demand-supply gap and boost domestic hydrocarbon reserves.