PGPCL offers help to tackle massive gas crisis in winter season

ISLAMABAD: In order to help government out of expected gas crisis in winter season, Pakistan GasPort Consortium Limited (PGPCL) took the lead by offering additional capacity of its Floating Storage Re-gasification Unit (FSRU) to inject 150mmcfd RLNG in country’s system for 90 days in winter season.

In the winter season, the country's political temperature will increase because of the opposition parties’ public meetings scheduled at capitals of four provinces and the gas crisis is also feared to fuel the political developments in the country which may prove detrimental for the government. Political parties are expected to utilise in their public meetings under the forum of Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) the gas crisis and increasing inflation as weapons against the government.

Under this scenario, the offer from PGPCL may prove a sigh of relief to the government to some extent at a time when the Petroleum Division functionaries are quite upset on how to tackle the gas deficit of 1.5 billion cubic feet that will hit the country in the forthcoming winter season.

At present, there are two LNG terminals in the country — one is owned by Engro and the other is owned by PGPCL. The government has acquired the capacity of 1.2 bcfd from the said two LNG terminals (600 mmcfd from each terminal) against its sovereign guarantees.