KARACHI, Pakistan: Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Friday said electricity load shedding had ended and the Country was now self-sufficient in power production.
While addressing the foundation stone laying ceremony of Rs 15 billion White Oil Pipeline Gasoline project at Port Qasim in Karachi, the prime minister said Pakistan Muslim league-Nawaz (PML-N) government had transformed the energy and petroleum landscape over the past four years and today now international grade of Ron 92 was available instead of Ron 87.
Similarly, he said, the diesel fuel also had been upgraded to Euro-II standard diesel. He said today Ron 95 and 97 were also available.
The White Oil Pipeline would provide uninterrupted petrol and diesel supply upcountry in a cost-effective and efficient manner.
The prime minister said the 786-kilometer long strategic project would strengthen Country’s energy security and was most efficient way of transportation of petroleum products internationally. He expressed the hope that the project of multi-grading of the oil pipeline would complete by 2019.
While addressing the concerns of the transport sector, Abbasi said Pakistan’s petrol consumption was increasing at a rate of 20 percent, while that of diesel was increasing at a rate of 12 percent. He said the tankers would continue to provide secondary transportation and witness an increase in their services. He said additional motorway was under-construction and they would continue to provide services to the people.
Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said with the completion of China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), there would be increased economic growth, and hoped the Country’s gross domestic product (GDP) would increase to six percent next year and with the full utilization of oil pipeline, the cost of transportation would also drop from Rs 1 to Rs 1.50 per liter.
The prime minister further said Pakistan was saving precious foreign exchange in billions by taking a firm decision of not importing furnace oil anymore. He regretted that in the past these important changes were ignored and today the plants were being run on liquefied natural gas (LNG).
