PTI reduced energy sector to tatters, says Khaqan Abbasi

ISLAMABAD: Ex-prime minister of Pakistan and former Petroleum Minister, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, has said that the PTI government has left the energy sector in tatters with no new LNG terminals, no headway in south-to-north gas pipeline and failure to optimally utilize the existing two LNG terminals.

Though the portfolio of the Energy Minister is yet to be decided, the government has decided to summon the owners of the newly-proposed terminals, Energas and Tabeer, and those of the existing LNG terminals, from next week to have the firsthand knowledge of their problems.

The government previously purchased the capacity of both the existing terminals up to 1.2 bcfd, out of which 300-400mmcfd capacity remains underutilized in the second LNG terminal. More importantly, both the terminals have an additional capacity of 200mmcfd, which was capitalized. If the existing infrastructure is utilized fully, the country can increase the intake of imported LNG by up to 1.4 bcfd.

When Shahid Khaqan Abbasi was asked as to what kind of issues the proposed LNG terminals, Energas and Tabeer are facing, he said they are minor ones but the PTI government had failed to address them. “So, we have decided to discuss those with them to resolve them.” Abbasi said the government would also focus on striking new LNG import deals on a Govt-to-Govt basis.

To a question, he said the prime minister during his visit to Saudi Arabia would seek an LNG deal. Though KSA is not an LNG producing country, it has an LNG company and the deal depends on the pricing it offers.

Coming to the power sector, the former prime minister said this sector has almost been destroyed by the PTI government just because of its incompetence and neglect. He said the new government would prefer to run all efficient plants "with gas, RLNG and coal" in place of furnace oil and diesel. “In the weeks to come, hydrogeneration would also increase.”

Talking about the RLNG based power plant at Trimmu, Jhang, initiated by the last PML-N government that was scheduled to come on stream in 2019 but got delayed because of the PTI government’s inefficiency, Khaqan said, “We are trying to make it operational as soon as possible as that is the most efficient plant having 63 per cent efficiency, installed by Siemens having the capacity to generate 1,263 MW of electricity. The government would also try to make RLNG based power plants functional at Haveli Bahadur Shah with the capacity to generate 1,230 MW, Bhiki 1,180 MW and Balloki power plant 1,230 MW to generate maximum electricity of 5,000 MW from the four plants."

The Liberty Power of 210 MW, Rousch of 410 MW, Nandipur of 525 MW, FKPCL 140 MW and nine units of Faisalabad GTPS, were not producing electricity due to the nonavailability of RLNG since Dec 12, 2021. They would be provided RLNG and we will get imported gas-based electricity, which is cheaper than electricity generated from furnace oil and diesel, he added.