New gas reserves of 20bn cubic feet found in South Pakistan

A joint venture of the government, Mari PetroleumCompany announced a significant gas and condensate discovery with estimatedreserves of about 20 billion cubic feet (BCF) in Sujawal district of southern Sindh province of Pakistan.The announcement said: "We have been blessed with a significant gas andcondensate discovery in Sujawal Block?’s Sujjal-1 well." The discovery would result inexpansion of the hydrocarbon potentials for other exploration and productioncompanies operating in the area, thus opening up the country?’s prospects of tapping into new reservoirs in the region, it added.It is the first hydrocarbon discovery in the southern most part of the country.According to Mari Gas, the second exploratory well in Sujawal Block was taken up onJan 26 and drilled down to a depth of 2535m in Lower Goru Formation. As a result oftesting, the well flowed gas and condensate at a rate of 13.1 MMCFD (million cubicfeet per day) and 75 barrels per day (BPD), respectively, with wellhead pressure of 2477 PSI at 32/64 choke size.The gas was of a good heating value of 1045 British thermal unit per cubic feet and its condensate API of 53 at 60 degree Fahrenheit, the company said. It added that thediscovery will be a new source of indigenous energy supply and is expected tosignificantly add to the nation?’s hydrocarbon reserve base, consequentlycontributing to a reduction in gap between the energy demand and supply.