SSGC eyes substitution plan amid depleting reserves

Sui Southern Gas Company Limited (SSGC) is awaiting the government’s approval signal to create a cost-effective gas import substitution of over $1 billion a year. This strategy involves reutilising closed wells and encouraging exploration firms to discover tight gas. The move comes as imported gas (Liquefied natural gas) has become unaffordable due to massive rupee devaluation in recent times. While briefing journalists at his office, SSGC Managing Director Imran Maniar highlighted the challenges associated with completing international gas pipeline projects. Projects like the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) and Iran-Pakistan (IP) lines are proving to be “very, very tough”. Additionally, gas prices through these pipelines have risen beyond domestic consumers’ purchasing power. Maniar stated that supplying low-cost indigenous gas to industries is no longer feasible for SSGC. Therefore, blending imported gas (LNG) has been proposed as a way forward.