Gas line pack again swells to over 5bcf

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s gas transmission system is in hot water again, as the line pack has increased to 5.053 billion cubic feet (bcf).

This situation is continuing for the last two days. The pressure in the main pipeline has increased, as the power sector reduced consumption of RLNG by over 400 mmcfd for power generation.

If the line pack of over 5bcf continues for more days, the pipeline can burst any time. Under this scenario, the whole country would suffer.

Sui Northern has asked state-owned exploration and production (E&P) companies — OGDCL (Oil and Gas Development Company Limited), MPCL (Mari Petroleum Company Limited), PPL (Pakistan Petroleum Limited) — to reduce gas outflows to scale down line pack pressure and safeguard the system, senior officials at the Energy Ministry told The News.

“The limit of maximum gas volume in the pipeline is 4.5 billion cubic feet (bcf). If gas volume increases beyond this limit, transmission system can burst anytime, causing a gas and electricity crisis,” officials warned.

The SNGPL says reduced offtake of RLNG by power sector is causing high system pack across the gas transmission network. “Mitigation steps are being taken accordingly,” it said.

Officials said line pack of over 5bcf has hit the main gas pipeline seven times starting from April, 2024, putting the system in jeopardy. In April, the system was hit two times, in May two more times and in July two times. Now in August, pressure of over 5bcf has again hit the system on Wednesday.

The authorities have failed to find a sustainable way out except reduction of gas outflows from local gas fields and slowing down regasification process of imported LNG.

This reduction in gas flow from local gas fields poses significant risks to maintaining current local gas production level. But authorities are left with no option to ease the pressure. The exploration and production companies cautioned the authorities that the practice of decreasing local gas flows to safeguard the gas transmission system was perilous.

The power sector does not prefer to generate electricity from four RLNG based power plants on the rationale that fuel cost in RLNG plant is Rs26 per unit. That is why RLNG based electricity generation comes at the end of Economic Merit Order (EMO), and it adversely affects basket price of electricity. The Power Division takes this step when demand of electricity is reduced in the country.