Hunting down: SNGPL launches campaign against gas thieves

Situation bad in the south of K-P, losses may cross Rs6b in next 3 years.

ISLAMABAD: Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) has launched an extensive campaign against gas theft in southern districts of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P), State Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources Jam Kamal said on Thursday.

Responding to a question from Senator Osman Saifullah Khan, he said that the provincial government has been asked to help control gas theft as losses in southern districts were above 90%.

If the current situation persists, the losses will cross Rs6 billion in the next three years. SNGPL has made efforts to stop gas theft in the Kohat division, especially in the oil and gas producing zones.

The company has taken up the issue of losses with the local administration and provincial government to check gas theft. However, due to inadequate resources, revenue losses are still there.

Kamal said that the overall law and order situation in the province is the major cause of losses. SNGPL has reported that 13 Sales Metering Stations (SMSs) are providing gas to the southern districts of K-P.

Giving details of losses in the southern districts, he said that the losses amount to 10,803 million cubic feet (mmcf) during 2013-14 translating into a financial loss of Rs3,750 million and 8,124 mmcf in 2012-13 amounting to Rs2,602 million.

He said 194 FIRs had been registered against gas theft. Responding to another question regarding the LNG agreement, he said the agreement has not been executed yet for the supply of LNG to the country.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 8^th, 2015.

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