The Board of Directors (BoD) of the Oil and Gas Development Company () has approved an action plan to initiate drilling work in 'Zin Block', located in Balochistan province next month, Business Recorder has learnt.
Earlier, the OGDC management had moved a proposal to the board of directors to sell 'Zin Block', located in Balochistan province, to a local exploration company, Pakistan Exploration Limited (PEL), but the board had turned down the proposal in its meeting in December 2009, expressing fear that the move could further aggravate hatred in Balochistan against the federal government.
The OGDC administration was directed to chalk out the plan, in a month's time, regarding the drilling activities on Zin field in Balochistan province. "OGDC management has tabled a plan to start drilling work in Zin field in board meeting held on August 12, 2010," sources said, adding that the board has approved the action plan directing to initiate drilling in September.
Sources said that after Balochistan Package, announced by the federal government, the security situation had improved in some parts of the province and now time is ripe to start drilling activities. "OGDC is the strategic asset of the government, and no decision can be made to destroy it," sources added.
In the Balochistan Package, the government has given representation to Balochistan and Sindh provinces in the Board of Directors to take them into confidence over the decisions regarding oil and gas exploration activities. "OGDC powerful lobby's move was against the spirit of Balochistan package to sell Zin field which have might lead to a new controversy between federal and provincial governments if Zin block would have sold to a local private company," sources said.
Officials said that OGDC had completed the survey and seismic study regarding the Zin field and now it was at the advance stage to start field drilling. They said that some powerful lobbies in OGDC were working for the vested interests of the private sector to make OGDC a failed organisation. OGDC employees had also protested over management move to sell Zin field. They had raised slogans against the OGDC management saying that it was hatching conspiracies against the organisation.