Pakistan's OGDCL, PPL to Explore for Shale Gas

Pakistani firms Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL) and Pakistan Petroleum Company Limited (PPL) will be exploring for shale gas in the country, according to local English daily The News.

Pakistan’s shale gas reserves are estimated at 10,000 trillion cubic feet (tcf).

The project is being launched following a study conducted in cooperation with USAID, confirming availability of 10,159 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) shale gas and 2,323 billion of stock tank barrels (BSTB) shale oil across the country, an official told the newspaper.

The source said analyses of 124 wells were carried out, including laboratory analysis on shale cores and cuttings in the United States.

The move comes amid rising shortage of gas in the economy. Increasing supply-demand gap has resulted in long black out and affected industrial production. Recently Islamabad has agreed to a long-term LNG deal with Doha. Pakistan is also looking at other avenues to source gas such as pipeline projects. Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline and TAPI gas pipeline are two projects which Pakistan hopes will help augment gas supplies.