SSGCL to introduce fixed gas tariff mechanism for domestic consumers

December 26, 2018:  After suffering huge line losses in Balochistan province, the Sui Southern Gas Company Limited (SSGCL) is working on a proposal to introduce per month fixed gas tariff mechanism for domestic consumers to streamlining its transmission issues.

“The company’s line losses (UFG – Unaccounted for Gas) stood at 49.39 percent in Balochistan, 13.88 percent in Karachi Sindh and 13.80 percent in Interior Sindh during the year 2017-18,” official sources said.

In a bid to bring down the increased UFG ratio, they said, the SSGCL was in the process of finalizing a fixed gas tariff regime for Balochistan, the country’s largest province by area.

“The package of fixed monthly billing/slabs enhancement to be suggested for government consideration,” the sources said, elaborating that under the proposal each consumer would pay Rs 2,000 per month throughout a year without fear of increased gas usage in peak winter season and subsequent billing.

Moreover, they cited gas theft culture, tempering with meters, un-authorized extension of load, old leaky network, under capacity transmission lines and measurement errors as main reasons behind the mounted UFG.

Under the UFG reduction strategy, the company was establishing Control Gas Theft Operation Departments to deal with pilferers, making physical checking of 100 percent industrial customers for any theft, illegal load enhancement and malfunctioning of Electro Volume Corrector, they added.

The company would complete its survey to examine the entire transmission network, rectify overhead and underground line leakages, and enhance resources for replacement of defective meters within a period of one year.

Besides, the SSGCL is reinforcing existing network with bigger diameter to optimize system pressures. A test laboratory is also being established at regional level to examine tempered meters and determine actual recovery amount from gas pilferers.

Sharing the last six-month gas supply data, the sources said that the company provided 78 mmcfd (million cubic feet per day) gas in July, 86 mmcfd in August, 90 mmcfd in September, 114 mmcfd in October, 150 mmcfd in November and 200 mmcfd in December (as on December 21).

Despite severe problems and high consumption in peak winter, SSGCL is managing adequate supplies to Mastung, Kalat and Ziarat where the temperature was below zero degree.

In line with the international practices, the UFG is calculated with the difference between the metered gas volume injected into the transmission and distribution network - Point of Dispatch (POD) and the metered gas delivered to the end consumers at Consumer Meter Station (CMS) during a financial year.

(APP)