Urgent Need for Oil Exploration as Pakistan’s Reserves Deplete Rapidly

Islamabad: With Pakistan’s oil reserves depleting at an alarming rate, the discovery of new oil fields has become a critical national need. Efforts are now underway to accelerate exploration activities with the support of the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC), which is engaging international exploration companies.

According to the Auditor General of Pakistan, the country has discovered a total of 1,234 million barrels of oil, out of which approximately 985 million barrels—around 80%—have already been consumed.

Breakdown of remaining discovered oil reserves by province includes:

* Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: 94.24 million barrels
* Sindh: 78.98 million barrels
* Punjab: 74.23 million barrels
* Balochistan: only 1.6 million barrels

Pakistan’s current daily oil production capacity stands at 60,000 barrels, a figure that could be significantly improved through new discoveries.

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, Pakistan holds an estimated 9.1 billion barrels of technically recoverable shale oil reserves that remain untapped. With the country’s energy demand projected to rise from 2.23 billion barrels in 2030 to 3.35 billion barrels, enhancing domestic oil production is essential.

Efforts led by the SIFC to attract international investment in oil exploration are being hailed as a potential game-changer for Pakistan’s economy. Accelerated domestic exploration is seen as a vital step toward achieving energy self-sufficiency and strengthening the country’s economic stability.