Efforts being made to improve gas supply, claims Hammad Azhar amid criticism

Efforts being made to improve gas supply, claims Hammad Azhar amid criticism

Efforts being made to improve gas supply, claims Hammad Azhar amid criticism

Former Minister for Energy Hammad Azhar. Image: File

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ISLAMABAD: As the opposition grills the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government over gas shortages in the country, Energy Minister Hammad Azhar has claimed that efforts were being made to improve the supply of gas in the system.

Read more: Despite buying expensive LNG, govt failed to ensure gas supply: Sherry Rehman

Addressing a news conference in the capital on Friday, he said that the Sui Southern and Northern Gas companies were making all-out efforts to ensure ‘good management’ of gas supply to domestic consumers despite constraints such as depletion of natural gas reserves and the increased demand in winters.

Azhar said there were some complaints of low gas pressure at the tail end of the transmission network.

Elaborating on the reasons for the shortage of the commodity supply to domestic consumers in Karachi, the minister said that there had been a practice to curtail the supply to non-export general industries and captive power plants to meet the needs of domestic consumers in the winter, as per the priorities set by the cabinet.

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But this year, Hammad said, there was a stay order by the Sindh High Court on curtailment of the gas supply to the general industries and captive power units.

He said that the gas demand of domestic consumers increased by 3-5 per cent in the winter season that was met by curtailing the supply to other sectors because of shortage of the commodity, as per the priority list.

The existing natural gas reserves were depleted at the rate of 9 per cent every year, and the demand had increased manifold, he said.

According to Azhar, adding imported Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) because of its high cost did not suit the government to supply to domestic consumers.

“The government gets only Rs1 billion from domestic consumers in return if an LNG cargo of Rs8-10 billion is injected into the system to supply the commodity to domestic consumers.”

Read more: Karachi PTI MNA threatens to protest over gas shortage

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The minister said that the next hearing before the Sindh High Court regarding the stay order was scheduled for December 30.

He said that the Sui Southern Gas Company had been directed to try getting the hearing date before the schedule and plead for permission to curtail the supply to the general industry and captive power plants so that consumers’ requirements were met efficiently.

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