Staff Report
ISLAMABAD: Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on energy Nadeem Babar said Tuesday the Sindh government is politicizing the gas availability matter as since the incumbent has assumed power the gas distribution of the province has been assigned to SSGC.
Speaking over the possible gas crisis in Sindh, he said the usage of the utility has surged more than twice in the winters than normal. After the month of January, the gas situation will begin to get better, the SAPM said.
Nadeem Babar said the news is doing rounds in the media since yesterday that Sindh’s Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah has written to the federal over the unavailability of required domestic utility for Sindh. He said even Sui Northern was supplying the utility to two of Sindh’s power plants while every year about 150 mmcfd of Liquefied Natural Gas was being supplied to Sindh.
For the month of January we have arranged for 12 cargoes making for 1200 mmcfd. It is pertinent to note that just yesterday, Prime Minister Imran Khan took notice of gas load shedding across the country. Taking action on public complaints pertaining to the suspension of gas supply to domestic and industrial consumers, PM Imran Khan has summoned a meeting of the federal ministers and the concerned officials in Islamabad.
Sources said that the prime minister will be briefed on the ongoing gas crisis, reforms in the energy sector and measures taken to overcome the shortage of gas in the country. Federal ministers, special advisers to the prime minister and other concerned officials will attend the meeting, the sources added.
