Gas supplies to commercial users

According to a report, the Economic Co-ordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet has asked the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources to formulate a policy for provision of gas to the commercial consumers who have been kept waiting for it by the distribution companies for long periods of time.
The ECC directive is stated to have been prompted by a summary from the Defence Ministry on provision of gas connections to the generators to be installed for supplying electricity to simulators at the PIA training centre at Karachi.
The summary explained that Pakistan International Airlines Corporation (PIAC) intended to install a one megawatt gas-fired captive power generating set to ensure uninterrupted power supply to the newly inducted simulator of A310 and B777 aircraft.
PIA had asked for a gas connection to run the power plant immediately, but the Petroleum Ministry could not assure early gas connection. While considering the matter, the ECC took serious notice of this anomalous situation, understandably wondering over the plight of the private sector entities in similar situations.
The ECC was as if rudely awakened to the fact that if corporations like PIA could face a situation like this, private firms could never be sure of meeting their gas requirements for enhanced business from increased efficiency.
Little wonder, the ECC could not but come to the conclusion that the Petroleum Ministry needed to formulate a policy for expeditious provision of gas connections, at least, to the commercial consumers, whose applications have remained long pending with the gas companies.
It goes without saying that with a marked shift from oil to gas for power generation, understandable has become the commercial consumers' urge to ensure adequate supplies, more so because of constant depletion in WAPDA and KESC's production.
Fortunately Pakistan has the satisfaction of meeting the energy crisis to some extent from its tremendous gas potential.
According to current estimates, the country produces around 3.4 billion cubic feet of gas per day and possesses estimated gas reserves of around 42 trillion cubic feet. However, though seemingly self-sufficient in its requirements, it has to continue exploring prospects of increasing gas production to meet future needs.
Since the demand for gas has been growing at a rapid pace, it will be in the fitness of things to simultaneously boost its production and distribution through removal of the hurdles in optimum functioning of the existing system.
Keeping in view the increasing diversity of the uses of gas for both domestic and commercial purposes, the need of an adequately planned system of distribution can hardly be overlooked. All in all, the directive the ECC has issued to the Petroleum Ministry can be seen as marking the beginning of the needed effort in that direction.