ISLAMABAD, (Financial Updates): A meeting was held under the Chairmanship of the Minister for Industries and Production Mir Hazar Khan Bijarani on the request of the Fertilizer Industry here on Tuesday to restore the gas curtailment now that the date of 31st July 2010 till which the gas cut had been announced had passed and the water situation had also improved.
The meeting decided that the gas curtailment needed to be revised and curtailment should end as per the announced schedule.
It was agreed that action needed to be taken on temporarily diverting idle gas not likely to be used in the near future from Kandhkot and Mari deep to Guddu Power Plant immediately instead of curtailing the gas to the fertilizer industry.
The Industry representatives also pointed out that by revamping Guddu the same amount of power could be generated with much less gas.
It was stressed that the Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) imports must be allowed to augment the countries gas reserves that were insufficient to meet the rising demand particularly now that the LNG prices were globally really low.
The Industry was assured that the 2001 Fertilizer Policy that dedicated the Mari shallow field to fertilizer sector and the 2005 Gas Allocation Policy were being followed and it was reiterated that the government was committed to ensuring consistency in policy to facilitate the Industry.
Another meeting will be convened next week when the Ministers of other stake holding Ministries would be available to meet the fertilizer sector representatives.
The meeting was attended by Secretary Industries and Production, Secretary Petroleum and Natural Gas, D.G. Gas, Additional Secretary MINFA, Adviser on Water and Power, Chief Fertilizer Cell, Planning Commission, and other concerned officers along with Fertilizer Industry representatives.
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