Another consignment of 2,500 tons liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) has been imported by Progas Pakistan Ltd at its LPG Terminal at Port Qasim to stabilise the LPG prices and make it available throughout Pakistan. The consignment was unloaded from LPG carrier ''Sigas Silvia'' at Port Qasim on September 19 and 20.
Two more consignments of LPG are due next month. Progas Pakistan''s LPG Terminal is the first dedicated terminal in Pakistan. It is a joint venture of Progas Group with KUB Malaysia Berhad, KGL Group Kuwait and National Logistics Corporation. The company enjoys a fully integrated LPG bottling, logistics, marketing and distribution system across Pakistan and is the largest in terms of investment in the LPG sector.
The Prime Minister of Pakistan inaugurated the Progas bin Qasim facility in Karachi in December 2004. The first phase of the project at the port included 2,030 tons LPG storage and a fully automated state-of-the-art 24-head filling plant capable of handling 5,000 tons LPG per month per shift. The second phase has been commissioned, and the terminal has been in full operation since February 2007.
Progas has brought $50 million foreign direct investment (FDI) in the storage, handling, supply, transportation and logistics infrastructure of Pakistan. This is the largest single investment in the LPG sector of Pakistan. The terminal has storage capacity of 6,530 tons gas at Port Qasim, 120 tons storage at two regional distribution centres--Rajpura and Haripur--, a working and distribution centre in Quetta and 828 tons mobile storage, giving a total of 7,685 tons LPG.
In addition, a dispatch station is in operation on Iran border, at Taftan, while 22 satellite operations nationwide are under implementation. Progas aims to have an extensive network all over Pakistan, ensuring that LPG is provided to all sectors, including domestic, commercial and the automotive sectors.
According to a Progas spokesman, the company meets and surpasses the highest health, safety and environment standards within the LPG industry, while continuously increasing the standard of its products to the consumers. The increase in use of LPG helps in conserving precious forest resources and reducing environmental pollution in the country.
As part of its corporate social responsibility (CSR), Progas has identified four areas of focus to invest in the community: environment, women''s empowerment, investment in culture, and rural education.