Oil Industry Seeks Cost Recovery Support for Rs50bn Digitisation Drive

New-Oil1

KARACHI: Pakistan’s oil industry has urged the government to provide a cost recovery mechanism to support the digitisation and modernisation of the downstream sector, which is expected to cost more than Rs50 billion. The investment will be used to upgrade over 11,000 retail outlets nationwide with digital dispensers, QR codes, mobile payment options, and automated tank gauging systems. In a letter to the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra), the Oil Companies Advisory Council (OCAC) highlighted that while the industry is aligned with the government’s vision, the initiative is long-term…

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Emergency Gas Pipeline on Motorway Sparks Safety Concerns in Flood-Hit Punjab

New-Gas

ISLAMABAD: Amid devastating floods, Pakistan’s fragile energy infrastructure is facing renewed pressure after emergency gas transmission repairs in southern Punjab raised serious safety concerns. At Jalalpur Pirwala, floodwaters damaged multiple sections of the Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) network, forcing engineers to lay a temporary 36-inch diameter pipeline along a six-to-seven kilometre stretch of motorway to reconnect two critical assemblies and sustain supply to Punjab. Technical experts warn that placing a high-pressure gas line on a flood-damaged motorway risks violating safety protocols and could create a serious hazard if…

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ISMO’s Merit Order Reveals Wide Cost Gaps Between Pakistan’s Power Plants

Power-Plants

ISLAMABAD: As Pakistan grapples with soaring fuel costs and persistent energy shortages, the Independent System and Market Operator (ISMO) has released a revised Economic Merit Order (EMO) that lays bare the stark disparities in the cost of electricity generation across the country’s power plants. Prepared in collaboration with the Central Power Purchasing Agency (CPPA-G), the EMO ranks power plants by generation cost to guide electricity dispatch decisions. It assumes full-load efficiency, smooth fuel availability, and zero outages, though real-world operations often differ due to fuel shortages, contractual obligations, and system…

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TIP Seeks World Bank Probe into $153m Madyan Hydropower Contract Irregularities

Hydropower

ISLAMABAD: Transparency International Pakistan (TIP) has flagged “serious irregularities” in the $153 million procurement of the 215MW Madyan Hydropower Project in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, calling on the World Bank to investigate and, if necessary, scrap and restart the bidding process. In a letter to World Bank Country Director Ms. Bolormaa Amgaabazar, TIP cited a formal complaint alleging violations in the prequalification and evaluation process conducted by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Energy Development Organization (PEDO) under the World Bank-funded KHRE Project. The watchdog claimed that a joint venture was prequalified despite one partner—a…

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Kuwait Oil Output Capacity Hits 3.2m bpd, Highest in Over a Decade

KUWAIT: Kuwait’s crude oil production capacity has climbed to 3.2 million barrels per day (bpd), the highest level in more than ten years, Oil Minister Tariq Al-Roumi told Al Qabas newspaper. Kuwait’s capacity, which last peaked at 3.3 million bpd in 2010, had slipped below 3 million bpd in recent years. The latest increase aligns with Kuwait Petroleum Corporation’s long-term strategy to raise capacity to 4 million bpd by 2035. The minister said Kuwait will lift production to 2.559 million bpd from October under the latest OPEC+ agreement, which added…

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