- On November 1, the government’s gas load management plan will go into action.
- The government will only provide gas to household consumers for cooking three times.
- The country’s gas shortage might reach more than 1.1 billion cubic feet per day in January 2023.
The government has agreed to reduce the amount of LNG gas delivered to the Power Division from 470mmcfd to 250mmcfd in November 2022.
According to its gas load management plan, the government has chosen to prioritise the residential sector in gas delivery throughout the winter to ensure the availability of full-pressure gas for cooking three times each day, according to The News.
The proposal calls for it to go into effect on November 1 and last until the end of February 2023.
While the domestic sector is prioritised, the non-export sector, or CNG sector, will have its gas supply suspended, and the export sector’s present gas supply will be cut in half in the winter.
According to a senior Energy Ministry official, the amount of RLNG now supplied to the power industry would be cut by 40%.
On Wednesday, top officials from the Petroleum Division and the gas industry worked to refine the gas load management plan that would be given to the prime minister for approval.
Even after transferring 250-350mmcfd of RLNG to the domestic sector due to the severe piped gas constraint, the government will only guarantee gas to home consumers for culinary purposes three times.
Both the gas utilities, Sui Northern and Sui Southern, would import LPG on a daily basis totaling 20,000 metric tonnes at a cost of more than Rs2,300 per cylinder, in addition to charging a one-time price of Rs7,000 for each cylinder.
In February 2023, the relevant officials estimate a gas shortfall of 250mmcfd in the Sui Northern system, 400mmcfd in the Sui Northern system, 700-750mmcfd in the Sui Southern system, and 250mmcfd in the Sui Southern system.
This means that the country would face a gas shortage of more than 1.1 billion cubic feet per day during the coldest month of the year, January 2023. Sui Northern, on the other hand, will have access to RLNG at 600 mmcfd and local gas at 750 mmcfd in November, 800 mmcfd and 800 mmcfd in December, and the same gas in January and February of 2023. In addition, Sui Southern will have 875mmcfd of local gas and 75mmcfd of RLNG in November, December, January, and February.
Beginning in November 2022, the government has agreed to reduce the Power Division’s LNG gas supply from 470mmcfd to 250mmcfd. The gas supply to the power industry could fall to 200mmcfd in January. The gas supply to the power industry, on the other hand, could increase to 350mmcfd in February. The government would generate up to 4,000 MW extra coal-based electricity. Furthermore, the country would continue to rely on nuclear energy. Only during the winter months does power consumption range between 9,000 and 12,000 MW.
