When we have clear trade embargoes for no trade with Israel. This comes as an astonishment that how can the state oil company PSO go about a deal with an Israel based company. The excerpt from Dawn has more detail:
The Pakistan State Oil, a government-run oil company, has awarded a contact to an Israeli-based firm, Turpak-Orpak, despite the government’s ban on any kind of trade or agreement with an Israeli entity.
The matter was taken up by the Senate Standing Committee on Interior at its meeting on Monday.
The committee did not only deal with the matter of awarding a contract to any Israeli firm but also expressed doubts over the operation of the company close to sensitive installations in the country.
“It is an Israeli military establishment-funded company which is being headed by a military general,” committee’s Chairman Senator Talha Mehmood told Dawn.
“We have learnt that the company had installed its equipment close to sensitive installations and, therefore, I have ordered an inspection of the equipment to ascertain whether they are being used for monitoring purpose,” the senator said.
Mr Talha said that under SRO 76 (1) issued on Sept 2009, no Israeli company could operate in the country, but the PSO management awarded the contract to the firm in 2008.
PSO officials who attended the meeting said the contract had been awarded by the previous management and they had nothing to do with it.
Read more: http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/front-page/19-pso-grants-contract-to-israeli-firm-080-hh-10
Read more:
PSO, Pakistan Israel, oil, Pakistan, PSO, Trade
Ogra again increased the price of compressed natural gas (CNG) by Rs 1.75 in the country and is forcing stations to sell gas on higher rates of Rs 57.03 against Rs 55.30.
Ogra has fixed the selling price of CNG for the Potohar Region, Khyber-Pakhtukhawa and Balochistan at Rs 57.03 against Rs 55.30 and for Sindh and the central Punjab Rs 55.30 against Rs 53.03.
Ogra on Sunday issued a notification on revised retail prices of compressed natural gas (CNG) in the country. On the other hand, the All Pakistan CNG Association has rejected the revised retail price of gas and decided to beseige the Ogra headquarters in protest on August 4.
The official spokesman of Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra), Asad Latif, told The News that the concerned authority had issued a notification of the new revised retail price of CNG across the country. All stations would follow the rates of gas according to the notification, he said. He said that overall, Ogra had increased the rates by Rs 1.75 per kilogram throughout the country.
Read more…
CNG, OGRA CNG, government, ogra, Pakistan, rates
Crosspost from TelecomPK
Of the various uses of mobile technology, one interesting use of the technology for Gas or Oil Pipeline Operators is for Remote Cathodic Protection (CP) Monitoring.
The traditional way used to monitor CP is the manual measurement of potential risks by a dedicated team of field engineers and technicians. This required an operator to physically go out to the field and collect readings on a quarterly basis. Records showed that, a pipeline of 128 miles could take up-to three weeks to complete. Not to forget the labor, time and cost involved in this effort.
Now, using the GSM technology a complete M2M turn-key solution can be provided for web-based wireless remote monitoring systems for the oil, gas, irrigation, water/wastewater, and similar industries. The technology gives a reliable solution for data acquisition with low-cost telemetry, well-packaged hardware and easy-to-grasp web-based data presentation.
The flow diagram below shows how it really works.
This is one way mobile technology is used in the oil and gas industry. I believe more of such viable solutions can be made to help the agricultural sector.
Gas, Oil, Technology cathodic, gas, GSM, mobile, oil, pipeline, protection
The state oil company, PSO already in litigation along with Petrosin over the auto-gas deal, it has now being disclosed by the company MD that a power group is involved in supply scams involving selling of cheap oil ahead of monthly price adjustments.
Here is an excerpt that appeared in Dawn News today.
A fresh scam in the oil supply chain surfaced on Thursday when the management of state-run Pakistan State Oil (PSO) officially confirmed that a powerful group in the company was involved in selling cheap oil to influential dealers ahead of monthly price adjustments to enable them to charge higher rates from consumers.
As the managing director of the country’s largest oil supplier, Mr Irfan Qureshi, broke the news before the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Petroleum and Natural Resources, the committee’s chairman, Shaikh Waqas Akram, demanded an inquiry and its report within a week to identify officials involved in manipulating the supply chain to the benefit of dealers.
Mr Qureshi told the committee that PSO officials were found providing petroleum products to dealers on credit at the end of each month in anticipation of an increase in prices to earn a windfall at the cost of PSO. He said two officials had been held accountable for being involved in the malpractices and an inquiry had been in progress since April.
He said the practice had been going on for years and had now been brought to an end. He said six officials at the Lalpir depot had been suspended for embezzling Rs100 million. He said whenever the PSO took action against corrupt officials, courts reinstated them.
Read more: http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/front-page/powerful-group-in-pso-involved-in-supply-scams-370
Fuel, Infrastructure, Oil, PSO, Pakistan oil, prices, PSO, scam, supply
Synthetic Natural Gas (SNG) is a blend of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) and Air that is a direct replacement source for Natural Gas. Working on the fundamentals of fuel interchangebility, the LPG-Air mix/blending is an invisible application of LPG not known to many.
The oppurtunities SNG, also known as Substitute Natural Gas, provides include:
- Using it as an industrial back-up (during the Natural Gas shutdown/curtailments).
- Using it a base fuel to serve area not under service of Natural Gas.
- Using it to suppliment Natural Gas during peak demands known as peak shaving.
SNG is made by mixing the vapour LPG with air to a ratio of approximately 45% air and 55% LPG. Why mixing? Becasue LPG is a highly concentrated source of energy, with 2516 BTU’s per cubic foot gross heat content. Which is too rich to be used as a substitute for natural gas without dilution. If the Natural Gas and SNG have an indentical Wobbe Index, they will produce equivalent energies and will combust in the same amount of air. Thus the mixer blends in just the right amount of air and LPG; producing a mix of specific gravity 1.31 (1480BTU/Cu.Ft) and Wobbe Index that will match that of the Natural Gas.
This interchangeable use of SNG and NG makes it a powerful tool to startegically manage Natural Gas shortage. In the coming posts we will discuss the details of this strategy and technical aspects of SNG.
Energy, Infrastructure, Natural Gas, SNG Natural g, Pakistan, SNG, Synthethic Natural Ga
LPG, the domestic gas used by people in remote areas and when mixed with air (SNG) used by industries for Natural Gas back-up is facing an unjustified price hike during the last month. The Express Tribune reports the details as follows:
Despite the decrease in the Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) prices in the international market, the LPG producers on Saturday increased prices by Rs6 per kilogramme and now LPG is available for Rs69 per kg, industry sources said.
The prices of LPG in the international market decreased Rs4 per kg but the local producers increased the price by Rs6 per kg, said LPG Distributors Association Chairman, Irfan Khokhar.
He said that Jamshoro Joint Venture Ltd (JJVL) is the major producer of LPG in Pakistan and it has increased the prices, compelling other producers to increase the prices.
He said it was the second consecutive increase in the last one month, and the industry, due to the unjust increase, has earned Rs150 million.
“The government should take it seriously and provide relief to the people,” he said.
LPG, Natural Gas, SNG hike, JJVL, LPG, Natural gas, SNG
Pakistan State Oil (PSO) and Petrosin, a Singapore-based company, have entered into a legal battle over scrapping of Rs 10 billion LPG sale contract between the two parties, as the latter has got a stay order from Lahore High Court Rawalpindi Bench, Business Recorder has learnt.
Pakistan State Oil (PSO) Board of Management (BoM) had rescinded its earlier decision of awarding a contract to Petrosin in last week of April for setting up 400 LPG auto-gas stations across the country. The sources said the PSO’s board had earlier approved the deal through a majority vote with Petrosin.
The PSO’s BoM recently gave the go ahead to the management to invite parties for prequalification to participate in the project of LPG supply to the entire net of the autostations. According to sources, Rawalpindi Bench of LHC has issued stay order directing PSO not to proceed with the process of LPG deal as per advertisement given in newspapers seeking parties for pre-qualification till the final verdict of the court. Sources said that the court would resume hearing of the case today (Friday).
Read more…
Auto-Gas, LPG, PSO, Pakistan AG, Auto-Gas, LPG, PSO
Recently WSJ published an article on a slightly different use of solar energy – to have hot water supply in a home. As the article states, you don’t need a super hot climate and tens of thousands of dollars to go solar. In many cases, all it takes to offset two-thirds of your hot water bill is a couple of panels resembling skylights, an 80-gallon water storage tank and some shade-free southern rooftop exposure. Costs range from about US $2,000 to $10,000,
Buildings, Environment, Solar
