No gas load-shedding in franchise areas, claims SSGC

The Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) is continuously experiencing gas shortages due to the yearly depletion of indigenous gas reservoirs, the gas company said in a press release issued on Sunday.

It said the SSGC’s gas supplies have reduced by 40 per cent since financial year 2017-18, with around 465 mmcfd of gas depletion recorded during the past seven years. The company said that according to the load management plan approved by the Economic Coordination Committee, domestic, commercial and general industrial sectors have been given the top most priority.

It said that there is no gas load-shedding in the SSGC’s franchise areas, particularly in the domestic sector, but as part of the gas load management strategy, a night-time gas closure from 10pm to 5am is being executed in the domestic sector.

The SSGC said that this is being done to maintain the company’s line-packs for the subsequent day’s good pressure and for consuming the saved volumes of indigenous natural gas to be used during peak hours.

It said that in this scenario, the company is continuously striving hard to supply optimum required volumes of gas to its domestic consumers, especially during cooking hours, including those located at the tail-end of the distribution network.

The SSGC said that during winters demand for natural gas increases manifold in Balochistan, adding that besides cooking, natural gas is widely used for surface heating to protect from harsh weather, characterised by sub-zero temperatures.

It said the company makes all efforts to supply sufficient volumes to the province, but to improve the quality of services, the SSGC has undertaken an extensive rehabilitation programme across its entire franchise areas.