KARACHI: Pakistan’s upstream oil and gas sector received another lift this week after Pakistan Petroleum Limited (PPL) announced the start of commercial production from its Faiz X-1 deep well in Sanghar, Sindh, marking the latest in a string of 2026 discoveries that have sharply improved the country’s energy outlook.
According to a statement issued to the Pakistan Stock Exchange, PPL has successfully begun producing gas and condensate from Faiz X-1. The well is currently delivering 3.6 million cubic feet of gas per day (MMCFD) and 750 barrels of crude oil per day (bpd).
To enable the tie-in, the company constructed a 4.5-kilometer feeder line connecting the well to existing processing infrastructure. PPL said that after a detailed technical and economic evaluation, the project was declared commercially viable.
The Faiz X-1 well was originally drilled in 2014 but remained inactive for over a decade due to a lack of pipeline infrastructure. Its commissioning now adds both oil and gas volumes to the national grid at a critical time, as Pakistan navigates LNG supply disruptions linked to Middle East tensions and the Strait of Hormuz closure.
It is pertinent to mention here that the Faiz X-1 startup follows an unusually active first four months of 2026 for Pakistan’s E&P sector, with seven major discoveries reported in Q1 alone. The country’s exploration success rate hit 50%+, compared to a global average of 15-20%.
Key 2026 discoveries include:
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa – Kohat District:
– OGDC’s Baragzai X-01 (Slant) in Nashpa Block: Hailed as “Pakistan’s largest-ever oil and gas discovery from a single well” with four producing formations. The well now yields ~15,000 bpd + 45 MMCFD and is expected to reach 25,000 bpd + 60 MMCFD. OGDC estimates Baragzai could contribute ~10% of Pakistan’s crude output and cut the import bill by ~$329M annually.
– TAL Block: PPL’s Bilitang-1/Billi Ting-1 tested 26.5 MMCFD gas, called the “largest gas find in KPK in 6 years.” Barguzai-1 flowed 4,100 bpd + 10.5 MMCFD, billed as “Pakistan’s biggest oil discovery since 2014.”
Sindh:
– Shams-1: 48 MMCFD – the “largest gas discovery in Pakistan in 25 years”
– Dars West-3: 580 bpd + 9.5 MMCFD
– Sehto-1: 17.2 MMCFD
– Pasakhi-13: 460 bpd
– Mari 127H & Kunar WIW: New hydrocarbon strikes by Mari Petroleum and OGDC
Balochistan:
– Tabri-1: 11 MMCFD – first commercial discovery in North Balochistan in 17 years
Analsyts believe that collectively, Q1 2026 discoveries added 5,140 bpd of oil, boosting national production by ~5.5%, and 123 MMCFD of gas, a ~3.5% increase. In April 2026 alone, production rose 8% for oil and 12% for gas month-on-month, while exploratory drilling jumped 109% vs March.
The new flows come as Pakistan scrambles to secure energy supplies. With Qatar declaring force majeure on LNG contracts due to the Iran-US war, Pakistan returned to the spot market, paying up to $18.4/mmBtu for emergency cargoes. State-run PLL has tendered for urgent May deliveries of 140,000 cubic metres of LNG to avert summer power shortages.
