The Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) on Saturday approved an increase of Rs 8.72 per Million British Thermal Unit (MMBTU) in gas tariff for Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) and a reduction of Rs 12.12 per MMBTU for Sui Southern Gas Company Limited (SSGCL) for the next financial year 2013-14. Sources said that SNGPL had sought an increase of Rs 53 per MMBTU in gas tariff for next financial year while SSGCL Rs 32 per MMBTU, but the authority did not accept the requests of either company.
Sources said that the regulatory body fixed Unaccounted for Gas (UFG) losses for both the gas utilities at 4.5 percent, while the Petroleum Ministry and gas utilities are pressing Ogra to allow 7.58 per UFG losses. The authority also refused to pass on the burden of UFG losses worth Rs 14 billion on consumers as well as putting the burden of LPG air-mix project worth Rs 10 billion on consumers.
The authority approved Rs 258 billion as revenue for the SNGPL for 2013-14, which serves an estimated 4 million consumers in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. It also approved Rs 178 billion revenue for SSGC, which serves about 2.4 million consumers in Sindh and Balochistan.
According to officials, gas theft in the country touched 400 Million Cubic Feet per Day (MMCFD), which was sufficient to generate 2,000-2,400 megawatts of electricity, which would be enough to reduce electricity loadshedding by at least four hours a day.