Gas Load Shedding to Begin From November 1, 2022

In order to ensure provision of full-pressure gas for cooking three times a day, the Government will begin Gas Load Shedding from November 1, 2022, until end of February, 2023. However, priority will be given to the domestic sector for supply of gas during the winter season.

Dr. Musadik Malik, the Minister for Petroleum, said that gas supply will be suspended for non-export industry, including the CNG sector and in case of export sector, the current gas supply will be halved during the winter months. Moreover, there would be a 40% reduction in the amount of RLNG now supplied to the power industry.

However, the final decision will be taken by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif after reviewing the gas loadshedding plan tabled by top officials of petroleum division and gas companies. It will be something unavoidable as gas deficit is said to reach over 1.1 billion cubic feet of gas per day in the peak winter month of January 2023.

According to the details, the Sui Northern and Sui Southern will import LPG of 20,000 metric tons on daily basis with price of over Rs. 2,300 per cylinder apart from charging Rs. 7,000 one-time cost of the cylinder.

The concerned officials have worked out in the Sui Northern system, an estimated gas deficit of 250mmcfd in November, 400mmcfd in December and 700-750mmcfd in January, and in the Sui Southern system, there will be gas deficit of 250mmcfd in November, 300mmcfd in December, 350mmcfd in January and 250mmcfd in February 2023.

This means the country will face a gas deficit of over 1.1 billion cubic feet per day in the peak winter month of January 2023. However, Sui Southern will have the availability of RLNG 600mmcfd and local gas 750mmcfd in November, RLNG of 800mmcfd and 800 local gas in December, and RLNG of 800mmcfd and 800mmcfd local gas in January 2023, and the same gas availability in February 2023.

Likewise, Sui Southern will have 75mmcfd RLNG and 875mmcfd local gas each in November, December, January, and February.

Furthermore, the Government has decided to reduce the LNG supply to the Power Division to 250mmcfd from 470mmcfd in November 2022 and it may further plummet in January 2023 to 200mmcfd. However, the gas supply will be increased up to 350mmcfd in February.

Moreover, the government would increase electricity production based on coal by up to 4,000MW and the country would also continue to rely on nuclear power generation as the demand for electricity in the winter season oscillates between 9,000 MW and 12,000MW only.

Read more: PTI Long March Route from Lahore to Islamabad.

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