Managing Director Sui Northern Gas Pipe Lines Limited (SNGPL) Amjad Latif has said that gas will be available 24 hours to both domestic and industrial consumers during the winter. The 160 inch RLNG transmission line from Karachi to Lahore has been completed at the cost of Rs 55 billion and the transportation of 600 MMCFD RLNG will start in two months from this line. While talking to Business Recorder, Amjad Latif said that with the induction of RLNG to the system major shortfall will be recovered and there will be no load shedding in the country.

He said there is no ban on industrial and commercial connections and they are entertaining the applications on first come first serve basis. He hoped that the company will get quota of 100 MMCFD and after that they will clear all the pending industrial and commercial connections. When Amjad Latif took charge as MD, the company was facing many problems. The biggest problem faced by it was high Un Accounted For Gas (UFG) rate which was 14 per cent at that time. He said he brought the UFG rate to 8 per cent by using latest techniques and by controlling the gas theft.

He said after they launched crackdown against the gas defaulters they recovered Rs 4 billons out of total Rs 10 billion and the remaining amount will be recovered soon. He said the SNGPL is among the top 30 companies of the country and its share price in stock market is going up which is a proof that it is performing well. He said the company has earned a profit of billions of rupees in 2016-17 which they spent on upgradation of the system.

He dispelled the impression that Prime Minster Shahid Khaqan Abbasi signed RLNG contracts on very high rates during his tenure as federal minister for petroleum and natural resources. "Had we not signed the contracts, there would have been severe energy shortage in the country and the company would also be facing crisis," he said and added, "It is difficult to get gas in such a huge quantity in open market and that's why we signed contracts in the interest of the country. All the contracts were signed in a transparent manner."

While answering a question regarding gas prices, Amjad Latif said, "The gas price is determined by the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA). It is incorrect to say that instead of improving their performance the company increases prices. There is a mechanism of increasing prices. We forward our request to OGRA which, after listening to stakeholders and the company, collects data for determining the prices of gas." He claimed that we are providing cheapest gas to the domestic consumers who are paying average Rs 300 per house.

The MD said that the company has a huge network spanning over 8000 km having more than 5.5 million consumers. The company has 9000 employer and 1400 officers. He said there are more than 3000 seats of employees and 300 seats of officers still lying vacant which will be filled soon through advertisements.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2017