After a 6-year moratorium, the government has decided to approve new gas connections to industrial consumers on a limited scale after Eid.
Around 2,300 applications have been pending with the four state-run gas utility companies since July 2009. Energy and Mineral Resources Division Secretary Abu Bakar Siddique said that initially, 450 applications would be approved. “No new captive power plants would get gas connections,” he said.
The new connections will require an extra 120 mmcfd gas. The decision comes with Bibiyana production set to increase by 300mmcfd. The government engaged intelligence agencies to look into applicants. A high-level committee led by the PM’s adviser Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury, will vet the applications.
