October 22, 2019: Sui Southern Gas Company Limited (SSGC) has identified 10 sites in different localities of the Balochistan province, where natural gas supply network does not exist, to set up Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) air-mix plants and facilitate consumers.

Accordingly, a strategy is in place for installation of the plants at selected areas including in Uthal, Kharan, Khuzdar, Washuk, Killi Khanozai, Loralai, Killa Saifullah, Zhob, Kech (Turbat) and Muslim Bagh as soon as possible, a senior official privy to petroleum sector developments told.

“This will be the first phase of LPG air-mix plants’ installation, while the second and third phases will start in other operational areas of the company after seeing its (SSGC) financial position and analyzing actual data and results of the ten LPG units,” he said.

The plants are aimed at providing the gas facility to the population in the areas where the facility of natural gas is not available and discouraging deforestation. At the units, the LPG will be mixed with air to produce synthetic gas for onward supply to the consumers through a distribution network like natural gas.

The official said the government wanted to promote the LPG sector and finalizing a policy, under which the commodity production would be mandatory from all existing natural gas producing fields to ensure its availability at a controlled price throughout the year especially during the winter season. “The increased production will also help curtail the country’s oil import bill.”

He said the production from LPG’s existing plants, installed at different fields, would be streamlined, however, a period of one to two years would be required to set up new plants at the fields where the facility was not available.“We have the potential to increase the LPG production at domestic level and bring down its import,” he resolved.

According to an official report, the LPG consumption stood at around 40,921 Metric Ton (MT) during a 14-month period from April 2018 to May 2019 across the country.

Domestic, commercial and industrial consumers used 3,174 MT LPG in April, 3,077 MT in May, 2,661 MT in June, 2,680 MT in July, 2,684 MT in August, 3,027 MT in September, 3,264 in October, 2,630 in November and 3,272 MT in December 2018, while 4,357 MT in January, 2,961 MT in February, 1,715 MT in March and 2,971 in April and 2,448 MT in May 2019.

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