The SSGC organized a media briefing in its Head Office to explain to the media persons about the natural gas load management plan it is implementing during the current winter season. The briefing was addressed by Saeed Larik, ADMD (UFG). He was assisted by Kamran Nagi, GM/Incharge Distribution Karachi, Shahbaz Islam, GM (Corporate Communications) and Official Company Spokesperson and Mohammad Kamran, DGM-Billing.
In his remarks, ADMD (UFG) reiterated that SSGC always works towards ensuring uninterrupted gas supply to its customers. However, since there is a major gap between demand and supply that needs to be managed by load management which actually defines a sectoral priority set by the Federal Government with some specific directives from the Cabinet Committee on Energy (CCOE). Mr. Larik said that while SSGC is currently being provided 1000 mmcfd indigenous gas, constrained demand is around 1250 mmcfd.
Mr. Larik explained that rapid depletion of natural resources in the recent years has contributed primarily to a shortfall of 200 to 250 mmcfd gas especially since the domestic sales sees an increase of 50% every year. He said that as per CCOE directives, there would be no curtailment of gas supply to the domestic and commercial sector and inn order to meet the demand of high priority sectors, SSGC is obligated to curtail gas supplies to CNG, general industry (non-export), captive power plants (non-export) and captive power plants (export) which are connected to power grid and can meet the requirement of their power generation.
AMD (UFG) said that the current decision to curtail gas to Captive Power Plants (CPPs) of industries including non-export and export are on as and available basis during March to November each year as per agreement. In this situation, these units would make duel fired arrangement to avoid production loss between the peak winter months of December, January and February and SSGC is not obligated to supply gas to captive units of general industry from December to February, he explained.–PR
