SSGC to provide gas to over 137 villages this year

ISLAMABAD: Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) will provide natural gas to over 137 villages of Sindh and Balochistan during the current fiscal year.

"Under the PM's Global Sustainable Development Goals Programme, SSGC is working to lay around 490km gas pipelines to gasify 119 villages in Sindh and 18 villages in Balochistan by laying 77km network lines," official sources in the ministry of petroleum and natural resources told APP.

The company would spend Rs1,616.243 million in 119 villages of Sindh and Rs630.043 in 18 villages of Balochistan for the purpose, they said, adding that detailed engineering surveys were carried out in some localities, while in some villages it had requested for approval of additional funds.

"All these projects are being executed on the recommendations of parliamentarians and notables of the areas for provision of gas," the sources said. The two state companies - SNGPL and SSGCL - had laid around 6,129km transmission network in their operational areas during the last fiscal year.

"The companies laid 814km gas transmission network, 4,153km distribution and 1,162km service lines and connected 104 villages and towns to gas network," they added. The sources said the gas companies have provided 360,465 domestic, 339 commercial and 20 industrial connections across the country last year.

Besides, the companies invested Rs17,925 million on transmission projects, Rs11,183 million on distribution projects and Rs14,925 million on other projects, bringing the total investment to around Rs44,033 million.

Pakistan has an extensive gas network of over 12,202km transmission, 119,736km distribution and 32,823km service gas pipelines to cater to the requirement of more than 8.4 million consumers across the country by supplying around four billion cubic feet per day natural gas, the sources added. The companies would set up over 60 liquefied petroleum gas (LPG)-air mix plants in selected areas where natural gas supply does not exist, they said.