Punjab is facing three times more loadshedding of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) as compared with other provinces of the country. From December 27, 2012 to February 10, 2013, there was no gas for the CNG stations of Punjab expect a few outlets, which got stay orders from courts. At present, the management of Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) has announced that it will provide two-day gas supply a week to CNG outlets in the province, which prior to December 27, 2012 was four-day a week.
According to Petroleum Ministry officials, the cause behind massive CNG loadshedding in Punjab is that province''s share in national natural gas production is about 5 percent, while it was consuming about 40 percent. Sindh at present is the largest gas producing province with 57 percent of the national natural gas production, followed by Balochistan with 20 percent, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa 18 percent and Punjab 5 percent of the total natural gas.
The officials said that after the passage of 18th Amendment, two high courts - Sindh High Court (SHC) and Peshawar High Court (PHC) - ruled that first right over any natural resources would be the area from where it was being produced. So, out of the total gas, only 5 percent is being produced in Punjab due to which the province was facing more loadshedding. Sindh''s share in national natural gas consumption is 40 percent, Punjab 45 percent, KP 9 percent, while Balochistan consumes 6 percent of the total gas.
Out of Pakistan''s total gas production of 4.3 Billion Cubic Feet per Day (BCFD), CNG sector is consuming 9 percent gas, while Unaccounted for Gas (UfG) loss stand at over 11 percent, which is 6.5 percent higher than the allowed level of 4.5 percent.
Load-shedding for CNG sector in Sindh rotates from 24 hours a week to 48 hours a week, while in Punjab, at present, gas supply for CNG stations is suspended for five days a week, while in KP and Balochistan there is no gas suspension for CNG stations. 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, making Pakistan the leading CNG consumer country in the world. Over 90 percent of the Public Service Vehicles (PSVs) in the country are converted on CNG; but due to the prolonged CNG loadshedding masses are facing serious problems.
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