KARACHI: The Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) has announced that it will increase its gas supply to the only power supplying entity to the megalopolis, K-Electric, in a bid to mitigate loadshedding in Karachi.

However, this will result in closure of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) stations across Sindh for 48 hours. The SSGC decided to supply an additional 40mmcfd gas to K-E, after Prime Minister Imran Khan took notice of the power crisis in the city. Under the agreement between the two entities, SSGC is providing 100mmcfd more gas to KE, a private company.

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The KE has said that fuel shortage was the reason for unannounced and extra loadshedding in Karachi. The gas supply to industries will also be cut across the province after SSGC will increase supply to the power distribution company.

The Site Association of Trade and Industry and the All Pakistan CNG Association have condemned the move saying that power generation could be increased through furnace oil, therefore gas should not be used for this purpose as it will affect another large sector.

On July 9, Minister for Power Omar Ayub Khan had said the federal government had taken steps to improve the power supply in Karachi in order to address the problems of the people of Karachi.

Responding to a calling attention notice in the National Assembly, he had said, “We are providing additional one hundred megawatt of electricity to the K-electric more than the contract agreement signed with it.”

The power minister had said thirty thousand metric tons of furnace oil and 100 mmcfd gas had been provided to the company. He said the government would provide more gas to the K-electric which would help it generate two hundred megawatts of power.

The minister, however, had regretted the K-electric did not upgrade its system over the years and it had constraints to take additional electricity from the national grid. He said the federal government would help K-Electric to build its capacity.