Ahsan Iqbal hints for energy security in country.

ISLAMABAD -- Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiative Prof. Ahsan Iqbal on Thursday highlighted the need for energy security in which gas was a critical component.

The Minister expressed the need to educate people about the difficulties the government faces to ensure a low-cost and sustainable gas supply in the country at a time when international gas prices are highly inflated and domestic gas reserves are depleting, said a press release issued here.

A meeting to discuss 'Pakistan Natural Gas: Policy Issues and Way Forward' arranged by Integrated Energy Planning (IEP), Ministry of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives (M/o PD and SI) was held here Wednesday.

The meeting was attended by Prof. Ahsan Iqbal, Minister of PD and SI, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, former Prime Minister of Pakistan, Khurram Dastagir Khan, Minister of Energy and representatives of different energy sector organizations including Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA), Directorate General of Gas, Pakistan LNG Limited (PLL), Interstate Gas System (ISGS), Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL), Central Power Purchasing Agency (CPPA-G), Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL), and Sui Southern Gas Company Limited (SSGC).

Ahsan Iqbal also discussed the role of the media in creating awareness about the efficient consumption of natural gas by the general public.

The members also supported the need to replace inefficient conventional gas geysers with the latest solar water heaters in the country.

The meeting concluded with the appreciation of the IEP team for carrying out a detailed report on the supply and demand side management of the gas sector.

The minister directed the IEP team to finalize their research and recommendations in the form of a Natural Gas Policy Analysis report within a fortnight.

In the meeting, an overview of the present status of production, import, and supply of natural gas in the country was discussed, followed by recommendations to improve the gas supply and demand through short-term and long-term policy interventions aimed at different levels. It was briefed that over the years production of natural gas has declined to 3,505 MMCF in 2021 compared to 4,063 MMCFD in 2010.

Due to depleting local gas resources, the balance recoverable reserves reached the level of 20,951 Billion Cft in 2021.

The depletion trend projects that natural gas production will shrink to 2,306 MMCFD by 2030.

The demand kept growing at a...