12-10-04

The secretary for Petroleum and Natural Resources, Ahmed Waqar, said Pakistan is ranked third in the world for using Compressed Natural Gas (CNG). He was speaking as the chief guest at the Annual Technical Conference.

Ahmed said that there is a growing energy demand in the country and the government is striving to overcome the shortage of gas. He said that the country has good potential for supplying natural gas and its growth will increase by 7 % in the coming years.

Pakistan has major fossil resources and its achievements in this field are commendable, he added. He said there is a lot of potential and opportunities in Pakistan's oil and gas sector and all facilities are being provided by the government.

Ahmed said the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) and the Pakistan Association of Petroleum Geoscientists (PAPG) aptly reflect their vision of the serious need of not only accessing the technology but also follow a course of increasing self-reliance. He said that the government is engaged in preparing a long term integrated energy plan for the country, expecting the oil and gas E&P industry in Pakistan to at least double its exploratory in about a year's time.

The chairman of the Annual Technical Conference, Reinhard J. Oswald, said the main task of both societies is to provide a platform for engineers in SPE and in PAPG to share and disseminate knowledge in the various fields of oil and gas exploration and production.

Source: AsiaPulse