Winter supply: ‘Punjab’s gas provision massively improved’

SNGPL says Lahore receives sufficient resources for consumer needs


APP January 13, 2017
PHOTO: FILE

LAHORE: Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) Lahore Region General Manager Qaiser Masood on Friday said sufficient gas provision in the provincial capital has reduced complaints of low pressure.

Addressing a press conference here at the SNGPL office, he said Lahore was the largest region of SNGPL with 1,850km distribution network that covered Lahore and Kasur with 997,912 consumers.

He said Lahore’s consumers were 18% of the company’s total consumers (5.1 million). He added that “currently we are getting 200-205mmcf daily for Lahore, which is 15-20mmcf daily more than previous year which has significantly reduced low gas pressure complaints.”

Masood said that for Lahore around 320mmcf daily input is being received, which is sufficient to cater to consumers’ needs.

According to him, low pressure complaints were mostly due to decrease in temperature and people have increased their usage of geysers and heaters. “Illegal use of compressors by some consumers has also caused low pressure.”

Masood stated that SNGPL has disconnected connections for using gas compressors and the company has also launched an extensive media campaign to discourage illegal use of compressors and spread awareness regarding energy conservation by using conical baffles, geyser timing device and solar water heaters.

According to Masood, special teams have also been constituted for resolving complaints of low gas pressure during peak winter season.

“Last year, we attended a total of 216,561 complaints, including 95,722 of gas leakage and 53,817 of low pressure,” he said.

“Unaccounted for gas (UFG) losses had been reduced by 825 mmcf, which was 1.34% less than the previous year, reflecting a saving of Rs270 million. In our efforts to control UFG losses, so many successful raids were conducted and 86 FIRs were registered against gas pilferers.”

At SNGPL we were given a target to provide 77,000 new domestic connections during 2016-17 out of which 30,000 gas connections have been provided, said Masood. “In addition to that around 7,000 connections have been provided against urgent fee,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 14th, 2017.

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