Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL), Pakistan’s largest exploration and production (E&P) company, has commenced the production of tight gas from Nur West Well-1 located in Sindh.

The listed company shared the development in a notice to the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) on Monday.

“OGDCL is pleased to report the commencement of early commercial production of tight gas from Nur West Well-1. OGDCL holds 100% working interest in Nur Development & Production Lease (D&PL), located in district Sujawal, Sindh,” read the notice.

Tight gas refers to natural gas extracted from reservoir rocks with extremely low permeability, necessitating significant hydraulic fracturing to produce gas at economic rates. These resources are trapped in hard, impermeable rock formations, making extraction challenging.

OGDCL in its notice shared that the well currently produces 1.5 million standard cubic feet per day (MMSCFD) of gas with a wellhead flowing pressure of 1050 PSI, sourced from the Lower Guru formation.

“The gas has been integrated into the Sui Southern Gas Company Limited (SSGCL) network, consequently strengthening the national gas supply infrastructure,” it said.

The well was drilled to a depth of 2,975 meters. “The well encountered a tight formation, and conventional testing methods did not yield favorable outcomes. Hydraulic fracturing was subsequently employed to achieve production viability,” it explained.

OGDCL informed that the company has formulated a tight gas exploration and development roadmap which is currently under implementation, “reaffirming the company’s commitment to augmenting energy resources, securing national energy needs, and promoting sustainable development across Pakistan”.

Earlier this month, OGDCL announced further testing results from the newly discovered Razgir-1 exploratory well in the Kawagarh formation, located in the Kohat district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.