Islamabad:
Petroleum department has issued a new framework that prohibits new gas connections to domestic consumers. In this regard, the division has instructed gas tools to reject about three million pending applications submitted by domestic consumers, officials said Wednesday.
The frame, which is approved by the federal cabinet and sent to Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) and Sui Northern Gas Pipelines (SNGP), switches delivery of new connections to imported gas, which will cost consumers about 70% more than locally produced gas.
According to the new policy, SSGC and SNGP will be able to provide imported gas connections to 50% of applicants within a period of a maximum of one year against payment of an urgent fee. Consumers who pay the fee will be connected to the imported gas supply within three months. Households whose connections have been inactive for one year will also be moved to imported gas.
Officials said the framework consists of nine conditions that control imported gas connections and are aimed at reducing pressure to exhaust domestic reserves.
A week earlier, the federal cabinet approved resumption of new gas connections across the country and ended a ban introduced in 2021. Petroleum minister Ali Pervaiz Malik said the federal cabinet has approved the resumption of new gas connections across the country and lifted the ban in 2021.
He informed the media about the cabinet decisions, he said the government had responded to a strong public demand by lifting the ban on new connections.
