Pakistan State Oil has been putting great emphasis on the importance of gaseous fuels as primary determinant of energy spectrum of the country. With its futuristic outlook, the company recently restructured its Gas Business and brought it under one roof with a view to concentrate on this hugely-lucrative and potential energy segment, which comprises LPG, CNG and LNG.
CNG FUEL FOR A GREENER PAKISTAN:
In the last few years, CNG has become 'The Fuel' for the petrol engine vehicles in all the major cities of the country. In order to encourage the use of CNG as an alternate fuel in Pakistan, PSO has been playing a pivotal role in promoting this environment-friendly fuel for the general public. CNG business in Pakistan has recorded a substantial growth in the last couple of years and today we, as a nation, are at the top in Asia and third across the world in using CNG as an alternate fuel.
There have been a number of factors for such a rapid growth of CNG fuel in Pakistan, including increased awareness of environment-friendly fuels, availability of natural gas reserves in the country, efficient gas marketing distribution network and availability of piped gas in all major cities.
Although, the initial investment cost for installation of CNG kit is substantial, the prime factor for the wide acceptability and preference of CNG fuel is due to the price differential parity between the Motor Gasoline and CNG in Pakistan. As a result, CNG business has been gaining popularity day-by-day.
The CNG industry growth has also been significant due to the continuous patronage by the government, which has allowed duty-free import of CNG facility equipment. This government support provided the initial thrust in setting up CNG fuelling stations throughout Pakistan.
PSO's CNG Policy was formulated in 1995 with a vision to promote this environment-friendly fuel in the country. We were the first oil marketing company (OMC) to commission CNG facility at our retail outlet in January 1996. Over the years, PSO has come a long way with dedicated and sincere efforts and, today, we have more than 185 CNG stations operational and plenty more in the pipeline throughout the country.
We are operating CNG facilities in more than 27 cities and along the national highways. By making great efforts to provide this cleaner fuel to the general public, PSO has again proved to be the market leader in CNG business among all the OMCs operating in Pakistan.
Considering the high demand of CNG from the general public, PSO has aggressive plans to further develop CNG stations in the country. As we have witnessed mushroom growth of CNG stations in all major cities, PSO is now also focusing to introduce CNG dispensing facilities in the small towns to increase the availability of CNG.
In order to further extend the availability of this environment-friendly fuel, PSO is in the process of setting up unconventional Mother/Daughter CNG stations on national highways where piped gas is currently unavailable. In this dispensing system, CNG is stored in large pressure vessels/ containers which are moved through trailers from the Mother Stations to Daughter Stations, which are on highways or small towns where piped gas is not available.
This Mother/Daughter CNG dispensing system is not new in the country and is already operational on a major national highway. However, PSO would be the first Oil Marketing Company to introduce this innovative CNG dispensing facility in the country.
With the latest technologies and trends coming up very fast, Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) has gained prime importance in all business areas at PSO. In order to ensure the required safety standards, all PSO CNG dispensing facilities are carefully inspected on a regular basis by qualified and equipped HSE specialists, who ensure very strict HSE standards made in line with the prevailing international HSE standards. All these steps have been taken by PSO with the objective to achieve the maximum safety standards at CNG dispensing facilities for all the stakeholders in general and public at large.
LPG AS THE ALTERNATE FUEL OF THE FUTURE:
PSO has been into the LPG business since 1981 and the past 25 years have seen the company evolve itself as an important player in the LPG domain. From humble beginnings in the early 1980s, PSO now generates over 21,000 M-tons of LPG in sales volume, supplying product in all corners of the country through a web of distributors with the brand name "PakGas".
The company has upheld the tradition of positive change in the backdrop of ever-transforming market dynamics and in its pursuit has adopted a new, very trendy logo for itself that not only depicts its vibrant status but also radiates its pioneering influence amongst all LPG marketing companies and renews its commitment towards excellence and domination.
The company in order to deliver its promise of supplying fuel efficiently to the populace has in place four LPG storage and bottling plants, one each in Karachi, Lahore, Dhurnal and Akora Khattak, which collectively supply over 70 metric tons of LPG per day.
LPG's reckoning as an important hydrocarbon is gaining momentum day-by-day as the market continues to expand and vindicated by the fact that the government has now issued its directives to set up LPG Auto Gas Stations in the country. This development is destined to transform the country's Retail Fuel landscape and PSO, being the largest fuel retailer, is all set to tap this potential. Over 100,000 vehicles are already running on LPG fuel and this segment is expected to proliferate once LPG is offered through Auto Gas Stations.