Sorry for shortfall, says SSGC to consumers, KESC

MD SSGC says regular supply from Zamzama gas field to resume from November 4.

KARACHI: Apologising to customers, Dr Faizullah Abbasi, the Managing Director of Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) said that the shortfall of natural gas was unprecedented this year while the closure of gas fields for maintenance was necessary to ensure smooth supply of gas for the coming winter.

He said that the company had to take difficult decisions to continue gas supply with minimum damage to its customers. Abbasi was addressing the media at the Karachi Press Club on Monday.

He highlighted the problems that the Karachi Electricity Supply Company (KESC) had faced due to the reduction of gas supply from SSGC. “We also extend an apology to the KESC as the gas shortage severely affected its capacity to produce power,” he said.

Reducing gas supply to the KESC was the last resort but the SSGC had to undergo maintenance of the Zamzama gas field, he said, adding regular supply would resume from the gas field from November 4 onwards.

There are 15 gas fields in Sindh that produce 72 per cent of the country’s total gas and two of these fields are undergoing maintenance.

He said that gas shortage in the country was not a new phenomenon. “At least 10 years ago, experts had warned that the demand and supply gap was widening but no big energy project was finalised in that period,” he lamented, adding “unfortunately we have talked a lot but done nothing concrete in solving the shortage.”

SSGC officials said the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority was not issuing new licences to CNG stations owing to the gas shortage but CNG outlets with licences will receive gas from the SSGC.

The KESC and Wapda owe Rs23 billion and Rs7 billion respectively to the SSGC owing to which the utility company faces financial challenges, he said.

SSGC forms crisis management cell

A three-member Crisis Management Cell has been formed by SSGC management for responding to industrial customers’ queries related to gas supply. The urgent need for constituting this cell arose after the closure of Zamzama gas field and curtailed gas supplies from other fields.

It must be mentioned that the SSGC has already requested all major industries directly as well as through trade associations and bodies to voluntarily curtail gas consumption by 20 per cent to avert any major drop in gas pressure.

Published in the Express Tribune, November 2^nd, 2010.