Web Desk: Pakistan’s state-run Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL) has increased domestic crude oil production to 41,000 barrels per day from around 32,500 barrels in recent months, as the country intensifies efforts to strengthen energy security amid regional uncertainty, a senior company official said.
OGDCL Managing Director Ahmed Hayat Lak said the company has the capacity to raise production beyond 43,000 barrels per day through continued exploration and enhanced recovery efforts across the country.
Lak said OGDCL accelerated domestic oil and gas production before the recent escalation of tensions in the Middle East, which heightened concerns over global energy supplies and fuel prices.
He added that the company’s nationwide crude output had stood at approximately 32,500 barrels per day before expanding to nearly 41,000 barrels per day due to additional production initiatives and new operational measures.
Pakistan has been seeking to reduce reliance on imported energy by increasing indigenous oil and gas production, particularly as geopolitical instability places pressure on international markets.
Meanwhile, Lak said OGDCL’s estimated oil and gas reserves have expanded significantly and are now sufficient to sustain production for nearly 17 years, compared with around 12 years in the 2022–23 period.
He attributed the increase to accelerated exploration activity and a rise in new hydrocarbon discoveries across different regions of the country.
Last month, Pakistan recorded what officials described as the largest oil and gas discovery in the country’s history at the Broghzai X-1 well near Kohat in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
According to OGDCL officials, the discovery alone accounts for nearly 10% of Pakistan’s total crude oil production, providing a significant boost to the country’s energy outlook and exploration sector.
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