Mari Petroleum, one of the largest producers of natural gas in Pakistan, has announced the discovery of new gas reserves in North Waziristan, a district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. This is a significant development for the country’s energy sector, as it will increase the availability and supply of gas for domestic and industrial use.
According to a press release issued by Mari Petroleum, the gas deposits were discovered during the drilling of Shewa-2 well in North Waziristan, which will initially yield about 600,000 cubic feet of gas per day. The well was drilled to a depth of 4,577 meters on June 2, 2023, to appraise the Lockhart and Hangu formations, which were previously discovered at exploratory well Shewa-1, as well as test the hydrocarbon potential of the well’s exploratory targets, namely Samanasuk and Kawagarh formations.
The company stated that the discovery in Kawagarh formation is in addition to the previously discovered hydrocarbon-bearing reservoirs, i.e. Lockhart and Hangu, in exploratory well Shewa-1. The appraisal of the Lockhart and Hangu formations has confirmed the extension of hydrocarbon play in these formations. The Hungu formation was tested at a gas flow rate of 0.274 million standard cubic feet per day at wellhead flowing pressure of 77 pounds per square inch at 32/64-inch choke size. Furthermore, the Lockhart formation in Shewa-2 well was tested (post-acid) at a gas flow rate of 51 million standard cubic feet per day and 391 barrels of condensate per day at wellhead flowing pressure of 5,972 pounds per square inch at 38/64-inch choke size.
Mari Petroleum is the operator of Waziristan Block with 55 percent working interest along with Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL) and OPI as joint venture partners having 35 percent and 10 percent working interest, respectively. The company has been actively exploring and developing the hydrocarbon resources in Pakistan since 1984, and has made several significant discoveries in different regions of the country.
The new gas discovery in North Waziristan is a promising step towards meeting the growing energy demand in Pakistan, which faces frequent gas shortages and power outages. The government has been encouraging and facilitating the exploration and production activities in the country, especially in the under-explored and remote areas, to boost the domestic energy production and reduce the dependence on imported fuels.