SSGC announces load-shedding for industrial consumers

KARACHI: Sui Southern Gas Company on Thursday unveiled a load-shedding schedule for captive power plants and compressed natural gas (CNG) stations, announcing 48-hour supply halt to the industrial consumers to redirect fuel to K-Electric.

SSGC said the company has to provide KE with additional gas in the interest of public and to reduce massive electric load shedding in the city. Gas supply to CNG and captive power plants will be suspended from Friday to Sunday.

Gas supply to captive power plants for industrial sector will be restored on Monday 8 am, while supply to CNG stations will resume on Sunday 8 am.

The decision was taken to reduce volume of load shedding, according to the company.

“We would be injecting additional 20mmcfd (million metric cubic feet per day),” a SSGC’s spokesperson told The News when asked about the measure’s outcome.

“We will take up supply (to KE) to 260mmcfd and further depending on the availability,” Aslam said.

The decision draw irks from CNG stations that are witnessing recovery in their sales following substantial increase in prices of petrol and diesel.

Ghiyas Paracha, chairman of All Pakistan CNG Association said the decision to divert gas to KE is unacceptable.

“This is not the solution,” Paracha said. “Power sector can run on furnace oil.”

Paracha said CNG sector is already facing colossal losses owing to COVID-19. Transport movement remained banned since late March due to lockdown.

Power outage remerged in the summer as KE attributed this to fuel supply shortage.

A ministry of energy’s spokesperson previously said the SSGC is providing a total of 250 to 290 mmcfd of gas, including 75-100mmcfd of liquefied natural gas, to KE. Meanwhile the petroleum division made arrangements for supply of 80 percent of domestic residual fuel oil (RFO) production to KE to run its power plants.

The federal government has also made arrangement for supply of 30,000 tons of RFO from storage of other power plant to immediately fulfill requirements of KE. The spokesperson further said the federal cabinet also allowed for Pakistan State Oil to float a gallop international tender to purchase RFO for KE. The tender has already been published. The cabinet also approved provision and allocation of 150 mmcfd of LNG for new power plants of KE, the construction of which will be completed by KE by next year in 2021.