CNG pumps shut, KESC supply reduced further

Dozens of compressed natural gas stations shut down across Karachi as pressure in gas supply lines drops.

KARACHI: Dozens of compressed natural gas (CNG) stations have shut down across Karachi as pressure in gas supply lines dropped below the minimum operational threshold.

Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) officials have confirmed that “the usual pressure rate of 8 pounds per square inch (psi) has dropped to about 2 psi.”

“Industries have not complied with our request to curtail their gas usage temporarily and this has brought the overall pressure down significantly,” SSGC spokesperson Inayatullah Ismail told The Express Tribune.

“Pumps will continue to face difficulty until gas supply from the Zamzama gas plant resumes on November 4,” he added.

The supply of gas to Karachi Electric Supply Company (KESC) has been reduced further to a mere 70 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd). “We are currently supplying 70 mmcfd of gas to KESC due to the annual turnaround of Zamzama gas plant,” an SSGC official confirmed.

KESC had been receiving between 160 and 180 mmcfd of gas until SSGC shut down its Zamzama gas field for scheduled maintenance on October 27. The gas provider has already announced that this situation will persist till November 4.

SSGC has also repeated its appeal to all industrial zones in Karachi, Hyderabad and adjoining areas to “voluntarily curtail gas usage”.

“The response to the request has been rather slow which has caused a considerable decrease in gas pressure due to which the transmission system’s gas line pack [the capacity to transmit gas] has reached an extremely critical level,” said SSGC deputy general manager for communications, Nasreen Hussain.

Industry in peril

“Industries located in the Lasbela district of Balochistan are facing difficulty in continuing production,” said Lasbela Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Dr Muhammad Aslam.

“These industries are on the verge of collapse due to more than 12 hours of power outages in recent days,” he added.

Aslam pointed out that the Lasbela industrial area provides 90 per cent of tax revenues from Balochistan and employs over 30,000 people. He contended that industries situated in the locale are relatively small compared with those in industrial zones of Karachi and hence do not have the capacity to run on generators for extended periods of time.

Industrialists from Karachi have also condemned the ongoing power crisis. Highlighting the impact on export trade, Federal B Area Association of Trade and Industry Chairman Shahid Ismail said, “70 to 80 per cent of affected industries are export-oriented and are facing a very tough time meeting deadlines and targets due to incessant gas and power outages.”

He urged the energy providers and the government to exempt industries from outages, claiming “if this continues, whatever industry is surviving will also be driven under.”

Published in The Express Tribune, October 29^th, 2010.