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Mari Petroleum Company Limited (MPCL) on Monday announced a gas discovery in Sindh, claiming that it would significantly aid the energy-strapped nation in supplying the rising demand with domestic resources.
A statement submitted to the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) on Monday read, “MPCL, the operator of Mari Development and Production Lease (Mari D&PL), is pleased to announce gas discovery from its exploratory efforts at Mari Ghazij-1 exploration well, drilled in Mari D&PL, located in District Ghotki.”
The majority of Pakistan’s electricity is generated using imported fossil fuels, such as liquefied natural gas, whose costs have recently increased dramatically.
The well, according to MPCL, was successfully drilled 1,015 metres deep on November 24, 2022.
The gas flow rate determined by the drill stem test (DST) is 5.1 million standard cubic feet per day (mmscfd), with a wellhead flowing pressure (WHFP) of 232 pounds per square inch (psi) at a 64/64 inch choke size.
The exploration company referred to it as the first dedicated exploratory well that was focused on several Ghazij limestone units and stated, “The concept emerged from Iqbal-1 well wherein a thin limestone unit in Ghazij Formation was found to make a minor contribution of approximately 0.5 MMSCFD to the flow.
Based on this, the limestone units of the Ghazij Formation in the entire Mari D&PL area were carefully examined to determine their reservoir potential and deliverability in the play’s sweet spot, which has been successfully demonstrated by the discovery of Mari Ghazij-1.
The discovery in Mari D&PL showed the MPCL’s commitment to exploiting the hydrocarbon potential of the lease and aggressive exploration strategy, it added.
“It has opened a new avenue and will positively contribute to mitigating energy demand and supply gap from indigenous resources, and will add to the hydrocarbon reserves base of MPCL and the country,” the company said in its statement.
Terming the discovery a success for the company’s geoscientists, Managing Director/CEO MPCL Faheem Haider said, “The company now plans to appraise this discovery to prove its extent, in parallel evaluate its development options”.
“MPCL’s aim is to contribute to arresting the declining gas production in the country through a combination of maximizing production from current fields and discovering new resources via aggressive exploration strategy targeting high-grade prospects within the company’s portfolio,” Haider added.
Managing Director/CEO Fauji Foundation and Chairman MPCL Board of Directors, Waqar Ahmed Malik, congratulated MPCL’s management for testing this new play concept for exploration in a mature field.
