CNG Event: 13th - 15th March 2009

Fuelling Pakistan, CNG, LPG and Alternative Energy

A surging economy • Pakistan’s economy continues to grow at an average rate of 7.6% and business too continues to boom. • In 2006-2007 Pakistan’s GDP rose to 7%, compared to 6.6% in 2005–2006. • Per capita income is registering a consistent average growth of 13% annually and has now surpassed the US$ 900 mark. • Growth is taking place across all sectors of the economy, including, manufacturing (8.4%), agriculture (5%), services (8%) and finance and insurance (18.2%). Adding buoyancy to the market are substantial increases in both public investment (23%) and foreign investment (47.7%). • Pakistan is now counted among the fastest growing economies in Asia. Pakistan – the BIG Commercial Opportunity for CNG and LPG Industries Pakistan’s large reserves of natural gas have played a vital role in sustaining growth in the economy. Currently, Pakistan has 32 trillion cubic feet of natural gas reserves, with the potential to produce another 200 trillion cubic feet. Yet, despite these reserves, a shortfall is expected by 2008, due largely to the pressures of spiralling demand, engendered by economic growth. In an effort to minimise the effects of the anticipated shortfall, the Government of Pakistan is actively encouraging the import of CNG & LPG. Pakistan tops in Asia with 1,450 CNG Stations RAWALPINDI, June 8: Pakistan has become the first in Asia and third in the world after Argentina and Brazil in terms of housing over 1,450 CNG stations while, 1,000 more are under construction and the sector has attracted investment of Rs. 70 billion creating 60,000 jobs across the country, reveals the Economic Survey launched here on Friday. It states that in 1999, there were only 62 CNG stations in the country with only 60,000 CNG-converted vehicles which increased to 1,450 in 2007 while the number of vehicles using gas has switched over to 1.4 million to date. Major cities in the country, including Karachi, Rawalpindi, Hyderabad, Lahore, Peshawar, Quetta and Islamabad, are rapidly phasing out diesel vehicles in favour of CNG buses for intra-city transportation. The survey says that the government was boosting the CNG sector in a move to overcome vehicular pollution and was encouraging the gas sector as a cleaner alternative for improving ambient air quality. The Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) has so far issued more than 5,700 provisional licenses for the establishment of CNG stations across the country while the government is providing incentives regarding purchasing of new CNG vehicles. It says that the government’s millennium development goal (MDG) target for the number of vehicles using CNG was 920,000 whereas the current figure was 1.4 million and had achieved the target in advance.