ISLAMABAD – The Petroleum Division has forwarded around 17 onshore oil andgas exploration blocks to the quarters concerned for getting securityclearance and subsequently initiating the activities to discoverhydrocarbon reserves in all four provinces of the country.
The new exploration areas consisted of Block-2668-23 (Khewari East),spanning over 1451.23 Square Kilometer (Sq. Km) area in Sindh, Block-2966-2(Chah Bali), 2488.95 Sq. Km area in Balochistan, Block-2967-5 (Mach)2496.31 Sq. Km in Balochistan, Block-2970-9 (Jampur), 2465.76 Sq. Km areain Punjab, Block-3068-9 (Nareli), 2414.95 Sq. Km area in Balochistan,Block-2467-17 (Sujawal South), 1914.1 Sq. Km area in Sindh.
Block-2871-7 (Khangarh West), 2487.11 Sq. Km in Punjab, Block-2367-8 (JhorWah), 2308.06 Sq. Km in Sindh, Block-2767-2 (Gaj), 1473.82 Sq Km in Sindhand Balochistan, Block-2869-15 (Meeranpur), 2474.64 Sq Km in Balochistanand Punjab, Block-2967-6 (Sibi), 1911.63 Sq Km in Balochistan, Block-2867-6(Dadhar), 2494.98 Sq Km in Balochistan, Block3269-3 (Wana), 1748.3 Sq. Kmarea in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Block-3269-4 (Razmak), 2381.94 Sq Km in KhyberPakhtunkhwa, Block 3269-5 (Miran Shah), 1427.07 Sq Km in KhyberPakhtunkhwa, Block-2767-3 (Hiden), 857 Sq. Km in Sindh and Block 3273-6(Garmala), 2379.27 Sq. Km in Punjab.
“There are currently 38 active Exploration Licenses awarded to both localand foreign national oil companies which are undertaking explorationstudies and projects in their allocated areas,” according to an officialdata available with APP.
Exploration and Production (E&P) companies, operating in Pakistan, have sofar drilled 18 offshore oil and gas wells including Kekra-I to discoverhydrocarbon deposits in the deep sea waters but could not get the requiredresults.
A senior official privy to petroleum sector developments told APP that thecountry was in dire need of a big discovery as existing hydrocarbonreserves were depleting fast and its reliance on imported gas and oil wasincreasing with each passing day.
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Quoting a recent study, he feared that the existing deposits would furtherdeplete 60 percent by the year 2027 and underlined the need for stepping upexploration activities in potential areas on war-footing.
In a bid to accelerate oil and gas exploration activities in potentialareas of the country, the official said the government was in process offloating an international tender for award of new exploration blocks.
“The tenders will be given in international dailies soon, for which therequired formalities are being fulfilled.”
