Resumption of gas supply to Punjab industry unlikely

Gas company says other provinces should announce load management plans.

LAHORE: Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) is unlikely to execute the prime minister’s orders of restoring gas supply to industry in Punjab for five days a week since it has not succeeded in chalking out any load management plan, has learnt.

Sources from SNGPL say that it will be able to provide gas to industry for just three and a half days a week, while a pressure of 15 pounds per square inch could not be guaranteed. They admitted that execution of Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani’s order to restore gas supply to industry in Punjab was not possible.

The prime minister was not informed that SNGPL is facing a shortfall in gas supply, while after the meeting Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources Naveed Qamar was told about the shortfall faced by the company.

Industrialists and members of the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) said that SNGPL had issued a supply cut plan for industry but even two days after the prime minister’s decision, no schedule had been issued for resuming gas supply for five days a week.

Former chairman LCCI Mian Anjum Nisar said that there were slim chances for implementation of the prime minister’s orders by SNGPL. Meanwhile, Central Chairman All Pakistan Textile Processing Mills Association Maqsood Ahmad criticised the management of SNGPL, and agreed that he saw little chances of gas supply being restored to industries in the province.

He disclosed that SNGPL told them in the morning that industries to which gas was curtailed on December 19 would have to make do without supplies till December 25 but in a meeting on Wednesday evening, SNGPL General Manager Rehan Nawaz said that gas supply to the ‘Lahore 2’ (L2) region would be resumed on Wednesday at 6 pm.

Ahmed said that majority of labourers of the region were sent back home, including outstation employees, after being informed of the earlier decision which was later reversed. “It will take a minimum of two days to get them back to work.”

Ahmed also pointed out that gas pressure in the evening was not sufficient to run machines and fluctuated between six and ten pounds.

On the other hand, SNGPL General Manager Retail and Sales Rehan Nawaz said that SNGPL would supply gas in different regions of Punjab on a rotational basis. He said the decision of the CM’s meeting with PM was not perceived completely, the prime minister directed that gas outages to industry would be carried out across the country and then gas supply would be restored to industry in Punjab for five days a week.

“Hence, other provinces have to announce gas management schedules for their respective industries.”

He added that sharing gas with Sui Southern Gas Company remained a possibility and could facilitate in overcoming gas suspension in Punjab. “Gas management cannot be efficient until SNGPL has enough gas in its system.”

Published in The Express Tribune, December 23^rd, 2010.