Federal Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources, Syed Naveed Qamar has termed the signing of new Khushal Garh Bridge agreement as a historic occasion, an infrastructure project that would go a long way in creating connectivity and allowing fast flow of energy resources over the foreseeable future.
"The project is unique in the sense that the ultimate beneficiaries were themselves involved in financing the project," he added. Qamar was addressing the gathering at the agreement signing ceremony where the national oil company Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL) and MOL of Hungry signed an agreement to grant Rs 700 million loan to National Highway Authority (NHA) for construction of new Khushal Garh Bridge on river Indus for transportation of 30,000 to 35,000 BPD crude oil by 2012-2013, which will take 27 months. The loan amount will be recovered in 84 monthly instalments with effect from one year after commissioning of date of new bridge.
The signing ceremony was executed in the presence of Syed Naveed Qamar, Dr Arbab Alamgir Khan, Federal Minister for Communication and Rahim Dad Khan, Senior Minister P&D on behalf of Chief Minister Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. The agreement was signed by Muhammad Naeem Malik, MD/CEO OGDCL, Janos Feher MD/CEO of MOL Pakistan and Altaf A. Chaudhry, Chairman NHA here at OGDCL House on Wednesday.
OGDCL and MOL have so far made eight Oil and Gas discoveries in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa; the first discovery was at Chanda by OGDCL in 1999. At present the combined crude/condensate production, of both the companies from these discoveries is around 21,500 bpd (30% of indigenous production). (14,000 OGDCL and 7,500 BOPD MOL) and 340 MMCFD gas (40 OGDCL and 300 MMCFD MOL). The said volume of crude is daily passing through the Khushal Garh Bridge. Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa crude transportation through Khushal Garh route is serving as a major energy lifeline of Pakistan and its significance will grow in near future.-PR