- PPL claims the activity was aimed at ensuring the safety of drilling operations at Sirani.
- The company describes this initiative as a first attempt at drilling on such terrain.
- “The commissioning of the exploration well is planned for March 2026.”
KARACHI: State-owned energy company Pakistan Petroleum Limited (PPL) on Thursday dismissed reports that it was reclaiming land from the sea to build an artificial island for oil and gas exploration, saying the project only involved preparatory work to enable drilling in a harsh swampy environment.
A day earlier, Bloomberg reported that PPL was reclaiming land from the sea to create a launchpad to accelerate oil and gas exploration.
The media outlet quoted Arshad Palekar, general director of exploration and development of PPL’s core business, as saying that an artificial island would be created about 30 kilometers off the coast of Sindh, near Sujawal.
In a formal clarification, a copy of which is available with PK Press Club.tvThe company said recent media coverage about “reclaiming land from the sea to build an artificial island” was “misleading and did not fully reflect the technical scope and design of the project.”
PPL said the ongoing activity aims to ensure safe and stable drilling operations in the tidally affected Sirani Block near Sujawal – an area that has remained largely unexplored due to severe accessibility and operational constraints.
“Ongoing activities are aimed at enabling safe drilling operations in a challenging swamp environment, rather than the development of a self-contained offshore island,” the company said.
Describing it as one of Pakistan’s first drilling attempts in such terrain, PPL said it has already carried out 2D and 3D seismic surveys using specialized transition zone equipment.
“Construction works are currently underway to facilitate drilling, including loading and unloading jetties and an access road connecting the jetty to the well site,” the statement added.
Given the swampy subsoil and tidal conditions, the access road and well platform are raised approximately nine feet. “This is essential to ensure operational continuity and mitigate the effects of low and high tides,” the clarification states.
“The well site is nearly 30 kilometers from the mainland. According to the company, a 17-kilometer natural water channel will be used to transport platform components and equipment via barges between the jetties. The exploration well is expected to be commissioned in March 2026,” the company concluded.
Islamabad has stepped up its drilling efforts after US President Donald Trump expressed interest in the country’s oil reserves and a recent study indicated the presence of significant yet-to-be-discovered hydrocarbons in offshore basins.
The report comes weeks after Pakistan awarded 23 offshore exploration blocks to four consortia comprising local and foreign companies.
The Energy Ministry announced on October 31 that the country had held its first such tender in almost two decades, awarding 23 of the 40 proposed offshore blocks, covering about 53,500 square kilometers.
In July, US President Trump said his government had reached an agreement with Pakistan under which the two countries would work together to develop Islamabad’s “massive oil reserves”.
“We are in the process of choosing the oil company that will lead this partnership,” he wrote in his post on Truth Social.
