Pakistan Petroleum Limited (PPL), one of the country’s leading energy and exploration firms, has dismissed recent media claims suggesting that it is reclaiming land from the sea to build an artificial island for oil and gas exploration. The company labeled the reports as misleading, emphasizing that they do not fully reflect the technical scope and design of the project.
The clarification comes after reports claimed that PPL was constructing an artificial island 300 km off the Sindh coast to serve as a launch pad for exploration activities. PPL clarified on Thursday that the ongoing activities are aimed at enabling safe drilling operations in a challenging marshy environment, not creating a standalone offshore island.
“This is a technically complex and unique initiative, among the first projects in Pakistan to conduct drilling in such a marshy, tide-affected area,” the company said in a statement.
Project Location and Technical Details
The project is located in the southern marshy region of the Sirani Block, near Sujawal District, Sindh — an area that has remained largely unexplored due to significant operational and accessibility constraints. PPL has already successfully acquired 2D and 3D seismic data in this region using specialized transition-zone equipment.
Due to the marshy subsoil and tidal influence, both the access road and the well pad are being raised by approximately nine feet to ensure operational continuity and minimize the impact of low and high tides. The well site is around 30 km from the mainland, and a natural water channel of about 17 km between loading and offloading jetties will be used to transport equipment and materials via barges.
PPL emphasized that the project represents a significant technical achievement, demonstrating the company’s capability to conduct safe and efficient exploration in previously challenging and inaccessible environments.
This clarification comes at a time when Pakistan’s energy sector is under intense scrutiny for offshore and onshore exploration efforts, highlighting the importance of accurate reporting and technical understanding in energy infrastructure projects.
