ISLAMABAD -  The federal and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) governments have finally entered into an agreement whereby gas would be provided to the gas producing areas of the province.

The decision was taken at a meeting, chaired by Federal Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources Shahid Khaqan Abbasi. KP Chief Minister Pervez Khattak and parliamentarians from the gas producing districts of the province were also present on the occasion.It was decided that gas would be provided to the gas producing areas in two phases: “Under phase-I, the consumers living within 5 kilometers of gas producing well-head will avail this facility,” revealed official documents. 

In this connection, an agreement was signed between the KP government and SNGPL last month.

According to the documents, there are 911 consumers living within 5 km to whom SNGPL will supply gas connections on priority basis.

The estimated cost of the transmission and distribution network will be Rs611.04 million. SNGPL will fund Rs108, 000 per consumer while the remaining amount will be shared equally by both the federal and provincial governments.

In phase-II, gas connections will be given to the villages of remaining four union councils. The estimated project cost of Phase-II is Rs1,488.96 million, which will be recalculated at the prevailing rates at the time of project’s execution.

The federal minister was briefed about the non-availability of gas infrastructure in Karak, Kohat and Hangu. A member national assembly from Hangu informed the federal minister that there were several natural gas reserves in Hangu, but there was no gas pipeline to serve the masses, especially within 5 kilometers of gas producing wells.

This is wrong that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has to bear the complete project cost. 

Khial Zaman, MNA from Hangu, demanded that gas should be provided to all the villages around the gas transmission line.

 “The pipeline is passing along the main road and there are thousands of houses in the vicinity which are not getting natural gas,” he added.

Khaqan Abbasi said, "At present, our priority is to connect the well-head in Hangu to Makori Gas Processing Plant and give gas to the consumers within 5 kilometers of Mardankhel wells."

The total estimated cost of maintenance, construction, repair and upgradation of transmission & distribution network in district Karak, Kohat and Hangu is Rs6,700 million. The federal minister agreed to send a summary to Prime Minister for release of funds.

Chief Secretary, KP, Commissioner, Kohat, Secretary, Energy and Power Department, KP, Khial Zaman, MNA Hangu, Imran Khattak, MNA Nowshera, Shah Faisal, MPA Hangu, Mufti Said Janan, MPA Hangu, Managing Director, SNGPL, CEO, KPOGCL had attended the meeting.