Pakistan State Oil

Pakistan State Oil is a Pakistani petroleum corporation involved in marketing and distribution of petroleum products. It has a network of 3,689 petroleum filling stations, out of which 3500 outlets serve the public retail sector and 189 outlets serve wholesale bulk customers. It is the largest fuel marketing company of Pakistan.

History

The creation of Pakistan State Oil (PSO) can be traced back to the year 1974, when on 1 January; the government took over and merged National Oil (PNO) and Dawood Petroleum Limited (DPL) as Premiere Oil Company Limited (POCL).

Soon after that, on 3 June 1974, Petroleum Storage Development Corporation (PSDC) came into existence. PSDC was then renamed as State Oil Company Limited (SOCL) on 23 August 1976. Following that, the Esso undertakings were purchased on 15 September 1976 and control was vested in SOCL. The end of that year (30 December 1976) saw the merger of the Premier Oil Company Limited and State Oil Company Limited, giving way to Pakistan state Oil (PSO). A year later, it was listed on the Karachi Stock Exchange.

It was founded on 30 December 1976, after Pakistan's government took over the management of Pakistan National Oil (PNO) and Dawood Petroleum Limited, Esso Eastern and renamed into POCL (Premier Oil Company Limited) for marketing of Petroleum Products. PSO is the first public company in Pakistan to pass the PKR 1 trillion revenue mark. Pakistan State Oil has been a member of the World Economic Forum since 2003. Its primary listing is on the Pakistan Stock Exchange.

The State-owned Pakistan State Oil Co. has 3,500 petrol pumps. Where as Cnergyico has 982 petrol pumps, Total Parco Pakistan Ltd. has 800 petrol pumps and Shell Pakistan Ltd. has 766 petrol pumps.

In 2023, PSO inaugurated an aircraft re-fueling facility at Skardu International Airport. This move establishes PSO as the only oil marketing company in Pakistan to extend its services to Gilgit-Baltistan region.

The Government of Pakistan owns 22.47% of the PSO with a total of 51% direct and indirect investment. PSO owns 63.6% of Pakistan Refinery Limited. The company has established a network of incorporated subsidiaries managed from Karachi: Cerisma (Private) Limited, PSO Renewable Energy (Private) Limited and PSO Venture Private Capital (Limited). In 2024, PSO proposed swapping debt for stake in public sector companies including Pakistan International Airlines.