ISLAMABAD: The Petroleum Division Monday stated that no gas loadshedding was being carried out in any part of the country. The Division tweeted that there is no gas loadshedding for domestic, industrial and commercial consumers in the country while the LNG cargo ship scheduled for December 18 reached the country on December 21.
This will allow the two Sui companies to further enhance the supplies from tomorrow which is expected to improve the system pressure. One LNG cargo that was scheduled to arrive on 18th December was delayed at loading port and is now scheduled to arrive Monday, it said.
However, the division acknowledged that isolated complaints of pressure drops, especially at tail ends of the lines due to severe cold wave are being reported, which are being attended by gas utilities actively. As approved by the federal cabinet, the load management plan put in place will ensure no gas load shedding for domestic, commercial and export industry customers.
Moreover, the City gate loads in the SNGPL system have increased nine percent in one week as severe winter sets in; the SSGC is facing similar increase in pressure drops in parts of Karachi and Quetta. Gas to CNG is curtailed based on available supplies, followed by captive generation.
The All Pakistan CNG Association on Sunday rejected the utility companies' decision to suspend supply to gas stations for four days from December 19 to 23. "We reject this decision, as the sector which is buying gas on full rates is being deprived of it. It is then being provided to the sector paying much less than us," the association's chairman, Ghiyas Paracha said.
The division claims that the LNG terminals are operating at full capacity and re-gasifying 1196mmcfd. The SNGPL is getting 907mmcfd of local gas. The SSGCL is getting 995mmcfd of local gas. In addition to local gas, the SNGPL is getting 998mmcfd of LNG while the SSGCL is retaining 202mmcfd of the LNG.
Power sector in the NTDC system got 327mmcfd of LNG on 08-12-2020 as per requirement. All industrial units and the CNG stations are getting gas as per normal demand. More so, the temperature is expected to drop in the coming weekend in the northern part of the country, which will cause rise in domestic demand.
A newly laid 17 km gas pipeline from Port Qasim to Pakland in the SSGCL system is being hydro-tested and will be commissioned very soon. This will further facilitate the flow of RLNG thus, reducing the possibility of gas shortages in the country.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2020