Key Takeaways
- UGDC represented Pakistan at the 54th annual Gastech 2026 conference in Bangkok.
- The company aims to attract foreign investment for cheaper gas distribution.
- UGDC plans to operationalize dormant gas fields and establish joint ventures.
A private gas company, the Universal Gas Distribution Company (UGDC), represented Pakistan at the 54th annual Gastech 2026 conference in Bangkok, marking the first time Pakistan was represented at the exhibition.
The conference, held in Thailand, featured 8,000 delegates and 1,000 exhibiting companies from 150 countries, including leading global energy majors such as ExxonMobil, Shell, and Sinopec.
UGDC CEO Ghiyas Abdullah Paracha highlighted the importance of the government's policy allowing private parties to receive 35 per cent of gas output from exploration and production firms, a crucial step towards deregulating gas distribution.
Paracha emphasized the company's vision to transform Pakistan's energy market by attracting foreign direct investment and establishing direct business-to-business (B2B) joint ventures to cut gas prices.
The UGDC has already operationalized three dormant gas fields by processing raw gas into pipeline-quality supply and is planning to scale purification infrastructure with international partners, including top US firms.
To address seasonal supply shortages and pressure fluctuations, UGDC has been engaging in short-term and long-term LNG import deals and advocates for commercial underground gas storage facilities to capture favourable international prices.
Gas losses have been a key factor in rising gas prices in Pakistan, and UGDC aims to reduce these losses to provide cheaper gas to consumers.
Paracha expressed hope for more private sector investment in the gas sector, stating, 'We want to see more companies from the private sector invest in the gas sector.'
The government has announced a policy to [allow] the allocation of 35 per cent gas [output of exploration and production firms’] to the private parties, which is an important step towards the deregulation of gas distribution.
Ghiyas Abdullah Paracha, UGDC CEO
We want to see more companies from the private sector invest in the gas sector.
Ghiyas Abdullah Paracha, UGDC CEO
