LAHORE:
Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) Managing Director Arif Hameed has said that the company is considering suspending gas supply to compressed natural gas (CNG) stations every day for a specific time period so that supply to residential consumers could be ensured without any interruption.
In an interview to The Express Tribune, he said that the step is being taken to ensure that residential consumers do not face problems, like supply closure or low pressure, at cooking time.
Hameed said that the company is facing an additional shortage of 294 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd) this year as compared to the previous year and, therefore, linking the present situation with the past could not be justified.
He said that consumption by residential users has increased by 80mmcfd while usage by CNG stations has risen by 90mmcfd. On the other hand, gas supply to the company has dropped by 124mmcfd.
The managing director said that the management is bound to supply gas to the industrial sector for nine months in a year, but the company also tries to supply the gas saved from residential consumers to the industry.
He described the increase in the number of CNG stations without any planning in the past as the actual cause of gas shortage in the country.
Hameed asked people to consider ground realities before filing complaints and staging protest. “The company’s management is already supplying gas to residential consumers on priority basis, but the pressure falls as soon as CNG stations reopen and even in some areas gas supply is disrupted,” he said.
He pointed out that the company is mulling over a formula according to which CNG stations would be allowed to operate at those timings in a day when residential consumers had already finished cooking of food.
Hameed said that the government is trying to tap new gas reserves and the steps taken by the company would improve the situation for the consumers.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 20th, 2011.
COMMENTS (4)
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Gas shedding hahahahhahahaha
The ground reality is non seriousness of present government. No new gas processing plant has been constructed during this govt tenure. Why don't you tell the facts to Pakistani people? why UCH II (225 MMCFD) , KPD TAY (284 MMCFD), Jhal Magsi (15 MMSCFD), Sinjhoro (31 MMCFD), Gas plants have not been realized?
First thing clear in your mind the policy maker that you want to restrict supply or smooth it.
I think it will be better if the CNG stations/pumps remain closed through out the day and may be allowed to open at night after say midnight.