According to theUnited States Energy Information Administration (EIA),Pakistan may have over 9 billion barrels (1.4×109 cubic metres) ofpetroleum oil and 105 trillion cubic feet (3.0 trillion cubic metres) innatural gas (includingshale gas) reserves.[1]
As per BP' Statistical Review of World Energy 2016, at the end of 2015 Pakistan had the following proved reserves of fuels: 0.5 Trillion cu m of natural gas and 2.07 Billion tons of coal (sub-bituminous and lignite).[2]
Pakistan's firstgas field was found in late 1952 inBalochistan near the giantSui gas field. TheToot oilfield was not discovered until the early 1960s in thePunjab. It covers 122.67 square kilometres (47.36 sq mi).Pakistan Petroleum andPakistan Oilfields explored and began drilling these fields with Soviet help in 1961 and activity began in the Toot oilfield during 1964.[3][4]
On January 21, 2026, OGDCL announced its latest oil and gas discovery in its Baragzai X-01 exploratory well in the Nashpa Block ofKohat district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. the company will be producing about 3,100 barrels of crude oil and 8.15 million cubic feet of natural gas per day. This is the third discovery the company has made at this site within a month. It will add around 14.5 % to the country’s domestic crude output, helping reduce reliance on costly energy imports.[5]
The Toot area is one of the oldest oil producing regions in Pakistan with the firstoil welldrilled in 1964 whenPresidentAyub Khan encouraged a mineral development policy. It is located in theKhaur,Punjab Province, which is located approximately 135 km southwest of the capital city ofIslamabad. In 1964 the first well was drilled and commercial production started in 1967. There are about 60 million barrels of oil in place of which 12%-15% is recoverable. At its peak during 1986, the field was producing approximately 2,400 barrel of oil per day. It has grown steadily since then, producing both oil and, to a lesser degree, natural gas.[3] Oil production was entirely confined to the Potwar Plateau till 1981, whenUnion Texas Pakistan subsidiary discovered its first oil-field in LowerSindh. By 1998-1999, the Lower Sindh gas-fields were producing more oil than the Potohar Plateau. Since then, new deposits have also been found here.
In 2005, the Vancouver-based 'International Sovereign Energy' signed a memorandum of understanding with theOil and Gas Development Company Limited, Pakistan's national oil company, to develop the Toot field.[6]Schlumberger Oilfield Services first started operations in early 2006. After favorable results, the Vancouver-based 'Junior oil' and International 'Sovereign Energy Corp'.Oil and gas exploration companies signed a memorandum of agreement with theOil and Gas Development Company Limited, Pakistan's national oil company, in mid-2005, to develop theToot oil field in Punjab Province, near thecapital city of Islamabad. The company is also providing electricity to locals living around the residential camps of Toot oil field and the neighbouringMissa Keswaal oil field.[3][7]
The crude oil that is produced in Pakistan gets refined at home at five oil refineries which areCnergyico Pk Limited, Pak-Arab Refinery Company Limited (PARCO), Pakistan Refinery Limited, Attock Refinery Limited, and National Refinery Limited.[8] The combined processing capacity of these five refineries is roughly 420,000 barrels per day. Cnergyico Pk Limited is Pakistan's largest oil refiner with installed processing capacity of 156,000 barrels per day, accounting for around 37% of Pakistan's total oil refining capacity.[9]
In 2019, it was announced thatSaudi Aramco will establish an oil refinery in Gwadar.[10][11][12]
Natural gas production is at a relatively high level and remaining reserves are estimated to be about 885.3 billion cu m (1 January 2009 est.). Pakistan'sgas fields are only expected to last for about another 20 years at the most due to heavy industrial usage.[13][14]
The Largest Gas Producing province of Pakistan isBaluchistan.
The Sui gas field is the biggest natural gas field in Pakistan. It is nearSui in Balochistan. The gas field was discovered in the late 1952 and the commercial exploitation of the field began in 1955. Sui gas field accounts for 6% of Pakistan's gas production.[15] Remaining reserves are estimated to be at about 800 billion cubic feet (tcf) and the daily production is around 500 million cubic feet (14,000,000 m3) of natural. The operator of the field isPakistan Petroleum Limited.
Coal was first discovered across Pakistan and the rest of South Asia in the 1880s and was used by the British-owned railway companies under colonial rule. Later, post-colonial Pakistan had used coal to fuel its industry from independence to the discovery of the Baluchistan'sSui gas field in 1952 and theToot oilfield in 1964.
Environmentalists are now concerned that Pakistan has recently discovered one low and four low to medium-quality coal seams in thePunjab and plans to re-fuel its economically important cement industry with it after their oil fields have run dry. Low-sulfur coal was recently reported to have been found at the Baluchistan nearQuetta as well. There are reports that low a sulfur deposit has been found near Islamabad.
Sindh'sThar desertlignite mines will also be expanded soon for industrial usage too. This Thar's mine isopen-cut mine. These mines are relatively safer to mine from. While Baluchistan's mines areunderground mines, these are dangerous to mine from.[16]
Pakistan Baluchistan's mines have seen several accidents over the years among which the one which happened in 2011 was with the greatest number of casualties. According to one news paper the death toll rose up to 45,[17] though majority agree upon that it ranged from 40 to 45 people.
Special measures are being employed to reduce the resultingfly ash,carbon footprint andsulphur fume emission problems after it is burnt.
Bituminous coal is a relatively hard and lesssulfurous coal containing a tar-like substance called bitumen and would be burnt largely on domestic fires after being turned intocoke fuel.
Sub-bituminous coal is a coal whose properties range from those of lignite to those of bituminous coal and is used primarily as fuel for steam-electric power generation. It is set to fuelpower stations and cement works inPakistan.
Lignite is a low-grade, sulfurous coal that is generally used in modified industrial furnaces to generate heat for boilers, coke oven heaters, brick kilns, etc. However it can be converted to a substitute for crude oil through theFischer Tropsch technology. There are discussions on setting up a plant withShenhua Ningxia Coal of China.[18]
Musakhel Balochistan(Kingri-Aram-Safa Coal fields)
Lakhara
Dengari
Sor-range
Nowshera (Shaidu, Khawrai, Pethawo area)
Shahrig
Sonda
Sindh'sThar desert andlignite mines in Kingri Balochistan will also be expanded soon for industrial usage. Special measures are being employed to reduce the resultingfly ash, carbon footprint and sulphur fume emission problems after it is burnt. However it can be converted to a substitute for crude oil through theFischer Tropsch technology. There are discussions on setting up aplant withShenhua Group of China.[18]
The Lignite/ Brown Coal of Kingri Coal fields in percentage from 44 - 79 % use in formation of Humic Acid. Usage is in high quantity. Lignite can also be a source of fertilizer and soil conditioner.
Lignite is a low grade, sulphurous coal that is generally used in modified industrial furnaces to generate heat for boilers, coke oven heaters,brick kilns, etc. However it can be converted to a substitute for crude oil through theFischer Tropsch technology. There are discussions on setting up aplant withShenhua Group of China.[18][19]
Nowadayslignite use in Humic Acid formation from last three years especially ofKingri Area of Balochistan
Pakistan has had a long history of exporting small amounts ofuranium to the West.[citation needed] The Tumman Leghari mine in SouthPunjab, Baghalchurmine, Dera Ghazi Khan mine and Issa Khel / Kubul Kel mines inMianwali District. Pakistan has recently used some in its ownnuclear power andweapons programs.
The Wahi Pandi, Karunuk (Sehwan), andRehman Dhora (Aamri) mines in theKirthar Range,Sindh and the Shanawah Deposit,Karak inKhyber Pakhtunkhwa province are being opened up to meetPakistan's rising need for uranium, which these sources are issuing at anore grade: 0.04%Uranium mineral purity rate. TheBaghalchur site has several abandoned mines and is now being used as an industrial dumping ground.[citation needed]
Baghalchur is a town inDera Ghazi Khan District,Punjab, Pakistan. Baghalchur is the site of abandonedUranium mines now being used as a nuclear dump. The residents of the area along with several Pakistani environmentalist groups are opposed to the nuclear dump being used byPakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC), and have asked the government to invest in better techniques in the disposal of nuclear waste materials.[20]
Pakistan produced about 45 tonnes of uranium in 2006.[21]
{{cite web}}:|archive-url= is malformed: timestamp (help)CS1 maint: url-status (link)| Currency, governance, regulation | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| History | |||||||
| Transport | |||||||
| Industry |
| ||||||
| People and labour | |||||||
| Domestic economies | |||||||
| Business districts | |||||||
| See also | |||||||
