Islamabad: Pakistan is likely to continue facing natural gas shortages this winter like last year, officials have warned.
Minister of State for Petroleum Musadik Malik said the natural gas deficit would persist this winter same as last year due to a lack of development in domestic gas production and failure to secure a long-term supply of liquefied natural gas.
Pakistan’s energy shortage crisis worsened this year as the country was unable to attract any bidder for a long-term contract because of international market conditions. Many cargoes are currently proceeding to Europe, where buyers are willing to pay high prices to secure gas supplies in the face of the continuing EU-Russia tensions.
However, Minister Malik said that the new government has arranged as much gas quantity as available last year. Pakistan’s government says that it plans to give more relief to domestic consumers in winter than last year and ensure gas supplies to residential consumers at three times — breakfast, lunch and dinner. He said that efforts were being made to ensure gas supply to power generation plants, industry and to domestic consumers.
Gas supplies to be ensured through LPG import
The government is taking measures is finalising an effective gas load management to import liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinders as an alternative fuel to ensure gas supplies this winter, he said. Malik also added that a comprehensive plan would be announced soon to make the country self-sufficient in energy in the next three to four years.
Malik shared the details after attending a meeting chaired by Finance Minister Ishaq Dar and said all the public sector entities in the oil and gas sector had been asked to arrange LPG supplies. The meeting discussed modalities for an adequate supply of gas for domestic and industrial consumption and for reducing the shortfall in the winter
The minister said the total gas availability with Sui Northern Gas Pipeline Limited (SNGPL) was 680 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd) while domestic consumers’ demand in winter usually went past 900 mmcfd. To fill the supply-demand gap, the government has directed public sector companies to import 20,000 tonnes more than last year. Pakistan’s gas distributor SNGPL has said that it plans to supply 100,000 LPG cylinders to consumers to deal with a potential gas shortfall this winter.
