ISLAMABAD: As the gas crisis escalates, the government has further cut supply to the power sector to only 150-155mmcfd from actual demand of 240mmcfd, while supplies of RLNG to CNG, fertilizer, steel industry and power generation -Export industry have been halted.
Reports said another LNG cargo, scheduled for December 28, had been delayed for two more days due to bad weather in the deep sea. And over the two-day period, the country will not be able to put 250mmcfd of RLNG into the system, which will also cause more suffering for domestic consumers and the system will remain under pressure. Previously, LNG cargo from Nigeria which was due on 18 December 2020 was delayed for up to four days.
The situation became uncontrollable due to the government’s failure to manage spot LNG cargoes for the first 20 days of January 2021. In fact, the government had diverted several LNG cargoes, scheduled for the last week of December to the first. Sunday in January to overcome the gas crisis, but in Karachi, captive power plants for general industry were also closed. However, the export industry in Karachi is also starting to experience gas blackouts for 5-9 hours per day or gas supply with low pressure.
Even though all RLNG savings have been transferred to the country, people are forced to buy cooked breakfast from the market because they don’t get gas supplies in their homes. The same situation occurred in Sindh and Balochistan, where gas pressure touched the lowest flow in major cities such as Karachi, Hyderabad and Quetta. In Punjab, residents in many enclaves of the main Punjab cities, Lahore, Rawalpindi, Sialkot, Gujranwala, Faisalabad, Multan and Gujrat do not encounter gas or gas with low pressure. In Peshawar, the situation is also bad in terms of gas availability.
According to Sui Northern officials, RLNG supply to the power sector has been reduced to 155mmcfd for the first 10 days of January and thereafter. If things improve, the gas supply will be increased to the electricity sector. If the temperature drops and the situation gets worse, then in the next 10 days the gas supply to the electric power sector will continue to be cut.
So far, Sui Northern officials claim that the gas company is managing its gas load according to a federal cabinet decision and that if the weather situation worsens, it will close the gas industry for export once a week. At the next ECC meeting, the closing of RLNG for the export industry will also be discussed and the PM Adviser for Trade and Investment is expected to provide a tough time for the Petroleum Division.