Severe gas supply crunch likely

LAHORE - Sui Northern Gas Pipeline Ltd (SNGPL) Managing Director Abdur Rashid Lone said on Thursday that a severe gas supply crunch might hit the country in the coming winter.

“Country may suffer shortfall of up to 850 million cubic foot from Dec 2008 to Feb 2009 as use of CNG would increase besides 2,25,000 new gas connections have been given to domestic as well as industrial sector,” he told a selected group of journalists.

After giving a presentation at a seminar organised by All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA) on ‘Energy Management System Implementation Programme for Textile Industry, the SNGPL MD pointed out that gas supply to the industrial sector would be disconnected from October 11 to 27 due to shortfall of 30 per cent of gas following shutdown of Qadirpur Gas Field and partly due to exploration of gas from several other wells. The company will activate the shutdown procedure for regular maintenance and up-gradation of machinery and plants, he added.