Karachi, October 8, 2025 – Pakistan Petroleum Limited (PPL) has announced a significant gas discovery in the Kotri North Block located in Sindh province, marking another milestone in the country’s search for local energy resources.
In a statement to the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX), PPL confirmed that the discovery was made through the joint venture of United Energy Pakistan Limited (operator with 50% working interest), PPL (40%), and Asia Resources Oil Limited (10%). The hydrocarbon find was made at the exploration well Barki-1, situated in District Jamshoro, Sindh.
The well was spudded on July 21, 2025, and drilled to a total depth of 3,392 feet to evaluate the hydrocarbon potential in the Late Cretaceous formations. Testing confirmed the presence of gas in the interbedded sandstone layers of the Pab Formation, located within Sindh’s sedimentary basin.
Initial testing showed a flow rate of around 1.5 million standard cubic feet per day (MMscfd) of gas at 200 psig wellhead pressure. After acid stimulation, production improved significantly to approximately 5.5 MMscfd, with pressure rising to 460 psig.
According to PPL, the Barki-1 discovery has proven the strong hydrocarbon potential of the Kotri North Block in Sindh. The company added that additional plays from the Late Cretaceous and Early Paleocene sands are being evaluated for future drilling, which could further strengthen Pakistan’s domestic energy supply and reduce dependency on imported gas.