Federal Energy Minister Hammad Azhar has said that Pakistan possesses the second-largest gas network system in the world after Russia, despite it not being counted among the world’s top 25 gas producing countries.
Speaking to media representatives at Punjab House in Islamabad, Azhar said that Nigeria’s gas network spans only 6,000 kilometers despite possessing gas reserves that are four times greater than Pakistan’s.
He added that Pakistan’s gas network system spans a total length of 150,000 kilometres despite possessing fewer gas reserves than Nigeria. Azhar added that this was possible because governments after 1952 have focused on domestic expansion.
Elaborating more on the current state of the country’s gas network, Azhar said that 2,300 industries rely on the Sui Northern Gas Network. He added that out of these industries, 1,870 industries were being provided with uninterrupted natural gas.
The Energy Minister added that all the system gas plants [sic] in the country were being provided with their necessary supply. He elaborated that plants which ran on Liquefied Natural Gas had been provided with supply which was more than their immediate need.
Azhar also touched upon the supply to fertilizer plants, adding that they too had been receiving uninterrupted gas supply. He said that fertilizer plants typically shut down in November, but the government decided not to do so last year.
