39,000 new consumers to get gas supply during 2013-14

As many as 39,000 new consumers will get gas supply and around 350 new towns and villages will get gas networks during the fiscal year 2013-14.
According to the budget document, gas utility companies have planed to invest Rs 17,437 million on transmission projects, Rs 27,265 million on distribution projects, and Rs 11,165 million on other projects, bringing the total investment to Rs 55,867 million during the fiscal year 2013-14.
While during July-Feb 2012-13, two gas utility companies (SNGPL and the SSGC) laid 14 km gas transmission networks, 4,326 km distribution and 831 km services lines and connected 261 villages and towns to gas.
During this period, the gas utility companies invested Rs 1513 million on transmission projects and Rs 1,898 million on other projects bringing total investment to about Rs 15,336 million.
During this period, 237,588 additional gas connections including 236,997 domestic, 221 commercial and 370 industrial were provided across the country. Moreover, the document reveals Pakistan being the largest consumer of gas has a total resource potential of 282 trillion cubic feet with recoverable reserves of 24 trillion cubic feet and a production of almost 4 billion cubic feet per day.
During 2012, total production of natural gas remained at 1,559 billion cubic feet that is equivalent to 32 million tonnes of oil equivalent (TOE), which shows a growth of 6 percent when compared to last year.
It reveals that there are 146 non-associated gas fields while 44 associated gas fields operating under 15 companies.
It further says that the country’s power sector is heavily dependent on gas and reduction of gas has crippled its performance.