Ali Pervaiz Malik Prioritises Household Gas Consumers Amid Winter Shortages

Federal Minister for Petroleum Ali Pervaiz Malik on Thursday directed immediate measures to improve gas supply for domestic consumers amid rising demand caused by severe winter conditions.

The minister chaired a high-level meeting attended by senior officials from Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited, Sui Southern Gas Company, and the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority to review the prevailing gas supply situation.

Taking serious notice of the difficulties faced by household consumers, the minister instructed the Sui companies to take all necessary and immediate steps to ensure maximum relief, stressing that facilitating domestic users during peak winter months remains the government’s top priority.

To strengthen oversight and decision-making, the minister directed that weekly demand-and-supply reports be submitted to the Petroleum Division, supported by daily operational monitoring. Officials informed the meeting that a detailed daily report is already being shared with the Petroleum Division at 10:00 am, offering a comprehensive overview of the previous 24 hours’ gas supply situation to enable timely corrective measures.

During the briefing, the Managing Director of Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited reported that gas supply had increased from 691 MMCFD to 746 MMCFD since January 6. He also noted that production from the Shiva gas field had risen from 55 MMCFD to 65 MMCFD, contributing to improved availability.

Read more: Gas supply returns to normal after surge in demand due to severe winter conditions

Emphasising the need for further relief, the minister directed officials to explore all possible options to ease pressure on domestic consumers, including the feasibility of temporarily diverting additional gas supplies from the industrial sector to households during the critical winter period.

Meanwhile, the Managing Director of Sui Southern Gas Company informed the meeting that the supply situation had improved following the restoration of output from two gas fields. He said that 39 MMCFD additional gas was being supplied to domestic consumers compared to the same period last year. He also shared that consultations are underway with industrial stakeholders on increasing weekly gas supply shutdowns for industry from one day to two days to prioritise household consumption.