Another gas crisis is looming in the country as a recent report has suggested that Pakistan’s gas reserves will run out within two decades.

A Petroleum Ministry’s report has revealed that the country’s largest gas reservoir, Sui, is rapidly depleting and might end completely in the next 19 years.

The report reveals that the natural gas reserves were at 67 billion cubic feet when first discovered in 1952. It was said that this will cover the country’s need for at least two centuries.

However, due to an exponential rise in population, the country has already consumed 39.750 billion, while only 21.445 billion cubic feet of gas is left for further use. The authorities believe that it will hardly last for another 19 years at the current consumption rate.

The report mentioned that 80 of the wells have already dried out while another 100 wells are going to dry out in the coming years.

The report urged the government to issue exploration licenses across the country as soon as possible to avoid the gas crisis. It feared that the country might have to rely on imports if new resources are not discovered.

As per the report, a large quantity of gas is consumed by Punjab and Sindh. The two provinces combined use 47 percent of the gas, followed by KP and Balochistan, with 43 percent.

The Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) had highlighted in its State of Industry Report 2016-17 that the power sector consumes 43 percent of the total gas produced. The residential and fertilizer sectors require 21 percent each, while only 15 percent of the gas is used to meet the other demands.

Via: GNN