The country will be facing a serious gas crisis in the current fiscal year as total projected per day gas shortfall will reach 1,496 mmcfd, according to official documents available with Business Recorder.

The documents show that consumers on Sui Northern Gas Pipelines (SNGPL) system will be facing average per day gas shortage of 1,216 mmcfd and those on Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) 280 mmcfd in 2011-12. A study was conducted in consultation with the two gas utility companies to evaluate their gas requirement and was also discussed by the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet. The projection showed that, as a result of growing demand-supply gap, the consumers on the system would be getting supply of 2,110 mmcfd in the current fiscal year against the demand of 3,326 mmcfd.

The consumers on SSGC system would get average per day gas supply of 1,131 mmcfd in the current fiscal year against the demand of 1,411 mmcfd, thus facing a shortfall of 280 mmcfd. The gas demand-supply gap on both the systems would increase to 1,512 mmcfd in the next fiscal year with 1,312 mmcfd on SNGPL and 200 mmcfd on SSGC. Total gas supply to SNGPL is projected to 2,180 mmcfd in 2012-13 against the demand of 3,492 mmcfd and supply to SSGC is estimated 1,285 mmcfd against the demand of 1,485 mmcfd. The projections indicate that in the year 2014-15, SNGPL will be facing shortfall of 1,872 mmcfd, while SSGC will be facing a shortfall of 513 mmcfd.

Sources said that the demand-supply gap of gas in the country would increase to 2,395 mmcfd in case Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline project did not become operational by 2014. The demand-supply gap on SNGPL system, excluding import, would increase to 1,872 mmcfd following a supply of 1,886 mmcfd against the demand of 3,758 mmcfd by the year of 2014-15. On SSGC system, gap in demand and supply would increase to 513 mmcfd as a result of 1,211 mmcfd supply against 1,536 mmcfd demand.

SOURCE: BUSINESS RECORDER