LAHORE: The petroleum ministry is working on proposals for the construction of five more terminals at the Gwadar and Karachi ports for handling, regasification, storage, treatment and processing of 3,000 million cubic feet per day of liquefied natural gas (LNG) it plans to import by 2018.

At present, the Elengy Terminal is being operated by Engro Pakistan at Port Qasim for regasification of 400 to 450MMCFD of LNG imported from Qatar.

Since the terminal has the capacity of 600MMCFD, the government plans to import 200MMCFD more of LNG and add it into the system by January.

“After attaining the target of 600MMCFD of LNG import and its regasification at the Elengy Terminal, another 600MMCFD will be imported by June and for its handling and regasification, the construction of the second largest terminal has begun and that will be completed by May,” an official of the ministry told Dawn.

Import of fuel may reach 4,200MMCFD by 2018

“The Sui Southern Gas Company is set to accomplish next month the task of upgrading and laying pipelines for the purpose,” he said.

The Pakistan GasPort Consortium, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Pakistan GasPort Limited, is establishing the country’s second LNG import terminal.

The government claims that the project will reduce the country’s gas deficit by 30 per cent and provide fuel for three regasified LNG power generation plants of 3,600 megawatts, being set up by the federal and provincial governments in Sheikhupura, Kasur and Jhang on a fast-track basis.

If the new proposals are approved, the government plans to build at least two LNG terminals in Gwadar and three at the Karachi ports.

China has also begun work on laying 42-inch diameter gas pipelines from Gwadar to Nawabshah for supplying LNG to new industrial estates planned to be developed along the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.

“The LNG will also be supplied to the power sector, fertiliser and other industries, domestic and commercial sectors in view of their demand increasing fast with time,” the official said.

With the proposed construction of five new terminals, the total import of LNG would be 4,200MMCFD by 2018, he said.

Published in Dawn November 20th, 2016