LAHORE: Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Ltd (SNGPL) has initiated the procurement of over 5,000 rotary gas meters and allied materials, including electronic volume correctors (EVCs), from a Canadian firm, with deliveries beginning in September. This procurement is a crucial part of a larger project aimed at significantly reducing Unaccounted-for Gas (UFG) or line losses.
In the project’s first phase, 1,470 meters were successfully installed at Town Border Stations (TBSs) and gas measurement facilities in Lahore, Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Peshawar, and Mardan. Phase 2 will see the installation of over 5,000 meters across all TBSs in SNGPL’s 16 regions, covering Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and the Federal Capital.
The project aims to identify and assess losses at the micro level, ultimately covering over 150,000 kilometers of distribution network and serving 7.7 million consumers. Currently, meters have been installed at 22% of the total TBSs. These meters detect gas pilferage and leaks in small localities and measure gas quantities in pipelines and consumer usage. This helps field operation teams quickly identify and fix leaks.
Initially, the tender for phase 2 was issued on February 7, 2023. Due to receiving a single responsive bid, the tender was reissued twice. The contract was eventually awarded to a Canadian firm after evaluation, and an order for EVCs was placed with a Turkish firm. Allied materials such as valves, flanges, fittings, and dry gas filters have already started arriving.
The first shipment of 352 meters will arrive in September, part of a phased delivery of 5,223 meters. The installation of 1,470 meters in phase 1 has already helped reduce losses to 5.15% (32,588 mmcfd) in 2022-23, down from 8.98% (62,627 mmcfd) in 2019-20. Data for UFG losses in 2023-24 is currently under audit.
Story by Khalid Hasnain
