Union Texas Petroleum (UTP) of the US has announced that its Pakistan subsidiary, Union Texas Pakistan, has made two oil discoveries in the Badin block in Sind province. The first discovery was made at the Jagir- 1 well, which is owned by a joint venture comprising Occidental Petroleum (Pakistan), state holding company Government Holdings, and the state-owned Oil & Gas Development Corporation (OGDC), which all hold approximately equal stakes in the well. The well has been brought into production and is currently producing an average of 2,100 barrels a day (b/d) of oil.

The second discovery was made at the Sakhi-1 well, located about 200 kilometres northeast of Karachi. The well is producing 800 b/d. UTP and Occidental both hold 30 per cent stakes in Sakhi-1, with OCGD holding the remaining 40 per cent.

UTP has also announced that it will begin drilling at its first exploration well in the Eastern Sind block during 1997. The licence for Eastern Sind was granted in 1994 to a consortium comprising UTP, Edison International of the US and Government Holdings. UTP holds a 70 per cent stake.