Mari Petroleum Company Limited (MPCL) on Monday announced the commencement of the first supply of gas from the Tipu compartment of “Goru-B” reservoir located in Ghotki district of Sindh province.
According to MPCL, initially, approximately 20 mmscfd of pipeline quality gas will be supplied to Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) after processing at MPCL’s newly constructed Sachal Gas Processing Complex (SGPC) via a newly built 25km long cross country gas transmission pipeline. Construction and commissioning activities of the remaining phases of the project are progressing to bring additional 90 mmscfd of gas volumes into SNGPL network during the course of the current year, said the MPCL.
“Mari Petroleum Company Limited (MPCL)is pleased to announce the commencement of first gas from the Tipu compartment of “Goru-B” reservoir and gas production from a newly constructed Sachal Gas Processing Complex – (formerly known as GTH Gas Processing Facilities),” reads the statement MPCL issued on Monday.
As per details, MPCL made a new significant discovery of gas in 2017, after its recent exploratory efforts at the Tipu-1 exploration well drilled in the Mari Drilling and Production (D&P) lease area in Ghotki. This well was spud-in on July 5, 2017 and is 3,944 metres in depth. It was drilled with the objectives to test the hydrocarbon potential of the northern compartment at the lower Goru-B sand level and assess the hydrocarbon potential of Semberas — a probable shale/tight gas potential.
According to sources, with the commencement of gas supply from the Tipu compartment of “Gory B” reservoir located in Ghotki will help control the gas shortage of the country while this supply of gas will also be made to the industries by injecting the cheaper local gas into the gas distribution system.
The price of imported Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) has been witnessing an upward trend in the international market and at present it is available at $30-35 per million cubic feet per day (mmcfd) while the price of local gas is at $3-4 per mmcfd, said sources.
“The gas will be supplied via MPCL’s newly constructed 25km long gas transmission pipeline while the construction and commissioning activities of the remaining phases of the project are progressing satisfactorily and are expected to be completed this year,” said the sources.
Faheem Haider, Managing Director and CEO of MPCL, in a statement issued on Monday, said that after commencing the gas supply of up to 40 mmscfd of undrawn volumes of HRL reservoir to SNGPL in June 2021, this is another major milestone for the company which demonstrates our commitment to enhance country’s indigenous gas production. He also said that the connectivity of Mari field with the SNGPL network via MPCL’s own transmission pipeline is a major achievement for the company that will go a long way in providing flexibility and maximising gas production from the single largest gas field in the country.
Waqar Malik, Chairman MPCL Board of Directors appreciated the operational excellence demonstrated by the company in the implementation of the project and expressed that once completed, the project will be a major milestone in the company’s history and bring approximately 6 per cent increase in indigenous gas supply.
It is pertinent to mention that MPCL is the operator of Mari D&P lease area with 100 per cent working interest share and is highly encouraged by the positive results of said seismic data that has identified additional new prospects at different reservoir levels, which it plans to drill in the next two to three years to chase the significant additional hydrocarbons in the area.
Mari Petroleum operates seven D&P leases, has 11 exploration licenses, joint venture interest shares in six other exploration blocks, and four D&P leases.
