Islamabad:
The Pakistan oil division has issued a new framework that prohibits new gas connections to national consumers. In this sense, the division has ordered the gas services that reject around three million pending applications, presented by national consumers, authorities said on Wednesday.
The frame, approved by the federal cabinet and sent to Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) and Sui Northern Gas Tpelins (SNGP), changes the provision of new connections to imported gas, which will cost consumers about 70% more than the gas produced locally.
According to the new policy, SSGC and SNGP may provide gas connections imported to 50% of applicants within a maximum period of time of one year, to the payment of an urgent rate. Consumers who pay the rate will connect with the imported gas supply within three months.
Households whose connections have remained inactive for a year are also moved to imported gases.
The authorities said the framework consists of nine conditions that govern imported gas connections and is intended to reduce pressure on the depletion of national reserves.
A week earlier, the federal cabinet approved the resumption of new gas connections throughout the country, finishing a prohibition imposed in 2021. The Minister of Petroleum, Ali Pervaiz Malik, said that the federal cabinet has approved the resumption of new gas connections throughout the country, raising the prohibition imposed in 2021.
Informing the media about the decisions of the cabinet, he said that the Government had responded to a strong public demand by raising the prohibition of new connections.
He added that the cabinet decided to allow new domestic gas connections, particularly in recently developed housing areas where residents were forced to trust LPG cylinders and alternative fuels.
The minister assured that both Sui companies had already completed acquisition processes for meters and pipes, and immediately began to process pending applications once the official notification is issued.
Existing applicants would also have the option to convert their requests to RLNG -based connections paying the safety rate prescribed to OGRA, he added.
