- PPL says the activity is aimed at ensuring safe drilling operations at Sirani.
- The company describes the initiative as the first attempt to drill in said land.
- “The exploratory well is scheduled to be drilled in March 2026.”
KARACHI: State-owned energy company Pakistan Petroleum Limited (PPL) on Thursday rejected reports that it was reclaiming land from the sea to build an artificial island for oil and gas exploration, saying the project involved only preparatory work to enable drilling in a difficult swampy environment.
one day before, Bloomberg reported that PPL is reclaiming land from the sea to create a launch pad to step up oil and gas exploration.
The outlet quoted PPL’s Director General of Exploration and Core Business Development Arshad Palekar as saying that an artificial island would be created about 30 kilometers off the coast of Sindh, near Sujawal.
In a formal clarification, a copy of which is available with geo.tvThe company said recent coverage about “reclaiming land from the sea to build an artificial island” was “misleading and does not fully reflect the technical scope and design of the project.”
PPL said the ongoing activity was aimed at ensuring safe and stable drilling operations in the tidal-affected Sirani Block near Sujawal, an area that has remained largely unexplored due to severe operational and accessibility limitations.
“Ongoing activities relate to enabling safe drilling operations in a challenging wetland environment, rather than the development of a stand-alone coastal island,” the company said.
PPL described it as one of Pakistan’s first attempts to drill in that terrain and said it had already completed 2D and 3D seismic surveys using specialized equipment in transition zones.
“Construction work is currently underway to facilitate drilling, including loading and unloading jetties and an access road linking the jetty to the well site,” he added.
Given the marshy subsurface and tidal conditions, both the access road and well platform will be raised approximately nine feet. “This is essential to ensure operational continuity and mitigate the effects of high and low tides,” the clarification says.
“The well site is located almost 30 kilometers from the mainland. According to the company, a 17-kilometer natural water channel will be used to transport platform components and materials via barges between the piers. The exploratory well is scheduled to be drilled in March 2026,” the company concluded.
Islamabad has stepped up its drilling efforts after US President Donald Trump expressed interest in the country’s oil reserves and a recent study indicated the presence of significant yet-to-be discovered hydrocarbons in offshore basins.
The report comes weeks after Pakistan awarded 23 offshore exploration blocks to four consortia, made up of local and foreign companies.
The Ministry of Energy announced on October 31 that the country had held its first such bidding round in almost two decades, awarding 23 of the 40 offshore blocks on offer, covering approximately 53,500 square kilometers.
In July, US President Trump had announced that his government had struck a deal with Pakistan, under which the two countries will work together to develop Islamabad’s “enormous oil reserves.”
“We are in the process of choosing the oil company that will lead this partnership,” he wrote in his Truth Social post.
