LAHORE - The domestic consumers in many areas of Lahore have started facing low pressure of gas.
The SNGPL’s (the gas distribution company), meanwhile, requested the ministry to allow it curtailing gas supply to all other sectors except the domestic and commercial to mitigate the rising demand of consumers.
The company claims the gas demand goes three-time higher in winter (after mid of November till mid of February).
“We won’t be able to supply gas to Punjab’s industry, CNG stations and power plants after mid of November. Not only this, but the demand of domestic and commercial would be met in coming months if the company would be provided supply of LNG,” said an official of the company.
The Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited is a gas distribution company supplies gas to domestic, commercial, CNG and power sector of Punjab and KPK. (The Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) is responsible for gas distribution in Sindh and Balochistan.)
The SNGPL faces severe problem to meet the demand and supply gap in every winter owing to high rise in need of domestic and commercial sectors in the season. The company has more than five million consumers in both the sectors.
The non-serious attitude to the present and past governments towards addition of gas in SNGPL’s network besides the company’s own failure to control the theft and distribution losses is being said the main reason behind the issue.
The former PPP and existing PML-N government have done nothing practical to add gas through LNG supply or Iran-Pakistan Gas Pipeline to meet the rising energy demand of the country.
“The SNGPL needs more than 2,000 million cubic feet per day (MMCFD) to meet the demand of all sectors in both the provinces but the company has only 1450MMCFD gas in its network. It has existing shortfall of around 600MMCFD,” the official said.
“Currently, the company provides gas to CNG, Industry and Power Sector on rotational basis. The demand of domestic sector rises from 500MMCFD to more than 1,200MMCFD in winter so it is not possible for the SNGPL to keep supplying gas to other sectors except the domestic and commercial in cold days,” he added.
The areas where gas low pressure starts are: Mughalpura, Ghari Shaho, Railways colonies, Mozang, Walled City, Green Town and other.
The SNGPL official who was not agreed to be named in the story agreed the low pressure might be started in the domestic limits of Lahore and other northern cities but he added that the problems would be no longer if the ministry allowed the company to curtail gas to other sectors.