Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) and Sui Southern Gas Company Limited (SSGCL) would reimburse to gas consumers against inflated gas bills due to application of gas pressure factor but those consumers who paid higher gas bills due to revision in gas slabs are exempted. In an informal media talk on Tuesday, Minister for Petroleum Ghulam Sarwar Khan said that the government would reimburse the amount to gas consumers till June 2019 who have received inflated gas bills due to application of gas pressure factor.
Simultaneously, he said, "I admit a mistake in revision of gas slabs which was also decision of Economic Coordination Committee (ECC)." Meanwhile, a firm M/S Ferguson submitted its inquiry report on gas bills to Ministry of Petroleum which claimed that 93 per cent gas consumers out of 3.2 million of gas consumers received inflated gas bills due to revision in gas slabs by the government on SNGPL system.
Around 3.2 million consumers had received inflated gas bills and out of them, only 48,000 gas consumers were affected due to applying high gas pressure. The cabinet in its meeting held on Tuesday also discussed to revisit the gas slabs and economic decision making body scheduled to meet on Wednesday would also take up this issue. Regarding reimbursing amount to the gas consumers who paid inflated gas bills due to revision in gas slabs, the minister said that ECC would review whether this amount could be reimbursed to the consumers or not.
Responding to question regarding three options related to increase in gas tariff presented before the International Monetary Fund (IMF), he said that the government would resist increase in gas prices to maximum level. The government decided to import additional 200 mmcfd LNG from Qatar, he said. He further said that Qatar had offered less gas price compared to the long term LNG price and added that Saudi Arabia had also offered to export LNG at cheaper rates at 9.6 percent to Brent.
About offshore drilling, he said that explorer was to drill to 5,500 meters and it had reached 4,000 meters. He said that exploration companies had given a plan to invest US $75 million. Ruling out that PML-N had a credit to bring back ExxonMobil to Pakistan, the minister said that this company had already investment plan to invest in offshore drilling in Pakistan. He maintained that PTI government had facilitated it by giving tax exemptions which were available to all exploration companies.
Talking about the reconstitution of board of directors of companies falling under Ministry of Petroleum, he said that a summary has been sent to cabinet to appoint chairman and board of directors of SSGCL, PPL, OGDCL, SNGPL and PMDC which would be taken up in the next meeting. He said that nomination of professional women has also been proposed on each board and provinces have also been given representation in upcoming boards. He further said that the government is also working on reducing gas losses and has given target of reducing 1 per cent UFG of gas companies on annual basis.
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