Gas outage and shortage in Karachi explained by SSGC spox

KARACHI: A combination of natural depletion of gas reserves, technical faults at two gas fields, and falling temperatures led to gas load management by Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) this week, an SSGC spokesperson told ARY News.

Speaking on the ARY News morning show, Bakhabar Sawera, SSGC spokesperson Salman Ahmed Siddique explained the causes of recent daytime gas shortages in Karachi.

He stated that the country’s gas reservoirs suffer from a natural annual depreciation of 8 to 10 percent.

This has resulted in a shortage of 40 MMCFD this year; the company received 655 MMCFD compared to 695 MMCFD the previous year, he said.

Siddique further explained that internal faults at two gas fields caused an additional loss of 35 MMCFD over a three-to-four-day period this week, necessitating extended load management across the city.

He added that the supply shortage, coupled with freezing temperatures in Karachi and Balochistan, significantly spiked domestic demand.

However, the spokesperson noted that gas pressure began returning to normal on Thursday, leading to a decrease in consumer complaints.

He clarified that SSGC typically conducts load management at night to stabilize “underground line pack” pressure, ensuring better supply for citizens in the morning.

Finally, the spokesperson pointed out that SSGC prefers the term “load management” over “load shedding,” as the latter is a term primarily used in the power sector.