Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) has said that gas supply across its franchise areas has returned to normal following the restoration of around 25–30 million cubic feet per day (MMCFD) of gas from various fields, leading to improved pressure, particularly during peak hours.
In a statement, the company said that after stabilization of the system’s line pack, gas pressure across Karachi improved significantly from 5am to 10pm. The system had come under severe strain earlier this month due to a sudden cold wave in Karachi and extremely cold weather conditions in Balochistan.
SSGC said it had managed to maintain regular gas supply until December; however, a sudden surge in demand during the second week of January, coupled with harsh weather in Balochistan, forced the company to divert additional gas to the province to prevent disruption to domestic consumers.
To safeguard human lives during the severe winter, SSGC increased gas supply to Balochistan from 80 MMCFD to 180 MMCFD.
This diversion was made possible by reducing supplies to the fertilizer sector and enforcing Sunday shutdowns for industrial units operating captive power plants.
In addition, arrangements were made for 90 MMCFD of RLNG to help maintain system stability.
Supply disruptions caused by technical issues at certain gas fields further worsened the situation, pushing the overall shortfall to 25–30 MMCFD. This led to a dangerous drop in the system’s underground line pack levels, raising the risk of a system crash.
In response, SSGC implemented emergency measures, including shutting down gas supply to the fertiliser sector ahead of schedule and imposing a 24-hour gas holiday on Sundays for CNG stations and the entire industrial sector, including captive power plants.
