Shut all CNG pumps and divert gas to power sector: caretakers'' proposal to new government

The caretaker government on Thursday proposed the incoming government to shut all Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) stations and divert gas to power sector which will help produce over 3,000MW electricity. Talking to a select group of journalists, Sohail Wajahat Siddiqui said to deal with the looming crisis, closure of CNG stations across the country is one of the available options.
He said the caretaker government has made all possible efforts to deal with the energy crisis and the next government will have to take some unpleasant measurers for the resolution of the energy crisis. But, according to official sources when all the CNG stations across the country are functioning 24 hours a day, the total natural gas consumption stands at about 350 Million Cubic Feet per Day (mmcfd), sufficient to produce 1,800 megawatts of electricity.
Through gas load-management plan, the government suspends gas supply for three days a week on the system of SNGPL and one day on the System of SSGC so by gas load-management plan government is saving around 100 mmcfd of gas and at present CNG sector''s total gas consumption stands at 250 mmcfd.
At present total gas shortage in the country hovers around 1.2 Billion Cubic Feet a Day (BCFD) which in the winter crosses 2 BCFD level. There are some 3,495 CNG stations in the country of which 2,500 are situated in Punjab. An estimated 3.7 million vehicles are on CNG in the country, which makes Pakistan leading CNG consumer country in the world. Over 90 percent of the Public Service Vehicles (PSVs) in the country are converted on CNG; due to CNG loadshedding masses are facing serious problems while travelling on intra-city and inter-city routes.