OGDCL to begin drilling for shale gas in Sindh next month

ISLAMABAD: Oil and Gas Development Company Limited will start drilling activities in potential areas of Sindh from the next month for the exploration of shale gas identified almost five years ago.

The study completed in collaboration with the United States Agency for International Development, covering the lower and middle Indus Basin, had identified massive Shale gas and oil reserves in 2015.

“According to EIA Shale Gas Assessment Report 2015 (USA); Pakistan has around 105 Trillion Cubic Feet of recoverable shale gas and 9.1 billion Barrels of recoverable shale oil resources,” the company said in a statement issued here Monday.

The successful exploitation of shale gas could provide Pakistan with a sustainable supply of natural gas and oil (against EIA estimated recoverable gas resources), it said, adding Pakistan’s estimated natural gas demand was about 7-8 Billion Cubic Feet per Day (BCFD), out of which less than 4 BCFD was being produced locally. “There is 50 percent of gas shortfall in the energy mix needs of the country”.

The OGDCL clarified that the identified resources were not booked as “reserves” and needed to be further rationalized through additional technical information regarding the Shale Reservoir.

Earlier in June, Oil and Gas Development Company Ltd (OGDCL) announced that it had discovered oil and gas reservoir in district Sanghar of Sindh province.

According to the OGDCL statement, the oil and gas reservoir was discovered in Pandhi area of Sanghar.

“The joint venture of Bitrism Block comprising of Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL) as operator (95 percent) and Government Holdings (Pvt) Limited (5 Percent carried) had discovered oil and gas from its exploratory well Pandhi 01, which is located in District Sanghar, Sindh province.”