Gas supply from SSGC plummets as two plants encounter faults

SSGC's plant in Kadanwari encountered problems forcing an emergency shutdown.

KARACHI: Just as the Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) finally restored supply of gas from Bhit gas field, its plant in Kadanwari encountered problems forcing an emergency shutdown in the early hours of Thursday.

“Gas supply to the Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) was completely shut down and that to the Karachi Electric Supply Company (KESC) was drastically reduced to 70 mmcfd (million cubic feet per day),” confirmed an SSGC official.

“The Kadanwari gas plant shut down at about 6:00 am today (Thursday) and all production was halted,” said SSGC spokesperson Inayatullah Ismail. “Although it was resumed during the day, the plant crashed again at 5:00 pm and production fell to 58 mmcfd.”

He explained that water had entered the gas extraction pipeline at Bhit gas plant, while Kadanwari gas plant has developed some technical faults. “The problem in Kadanwari plant is still prevailing and engineers of ENI Pakistan are trying their best to repair it,” he said, adding that due to the closure SSGC’s shortfall had reached 156 mmcfd.

However, he asserted that gas supply to KESC stood around 140 mmcfd by 9:00 pm.

Meanwhile, officials at the electricity provider contested this claim. “We experienced a drastic cut in gas supply from SSGC,” KESC spokesperson Amir Abbasi told The Express Tribune, adding that the power distributor was receiving only about 110 mmcfd of gas.

Abbasi added that due to the reduction in gas supply, KESC was forced to cut supply across different areas of the city from 8:00 am onwards. He disclosed that supply to industrial feeders was also cut between 11:00 am and 3:00 pm for the first time since October 2009.

“KESC is carrying out four cycles of 90-minute power outages on its low loss feeders and four cycles of 120 minutes each on high loss feeders,” said Abbasi. “The power outages will continue till the supply of gas is restored.”

SHC weighs in on crisis

The Sindh High Court has directed SSGC to ensure supply of 276 mmcfd of gas to KESC as decided by the cabinet’s committee on energy crisis. A division bench comprising Chief Justice Sarmad Jalal Osmany and Justice Abdul Hadi Khoso also directed the CEOs of KESC, SSGC and the Site Association of Trade and Industry (SAI) to resolve the matter before the next hearing of the case, scheduled for October 22.

Earlier, a petition was jointly filed by SAI and others against power outages by KESC on account of reduction in gas supply by SSGC. The petitioner’s counsel Abid Zubedi submitted that the issue of gas supply to KESC was resolved in a meeting of the cabinet committee to address the energy crisis.

According to the decision, KESC was to generate 1,350 megawatts of power in 24 hours while SSGC had to guarantee the supply of 276 mmcfd of gas. Zubedi said SSGC was not honouring this arrangement and therefore KESC was compelled to generate electricity through furnace oil, increasing production cost.

Advocate Anwar Mansoor Khan for SSGC stated his client was not in a position to supply 276 mmcfd of gas to KESC because it does not have sufficient supply. “If SSGC provides this much gas to KESC, supplies to domestic and other consumers will be severely affected,” said the SSGC spokesperson.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 15^th, 2010.