ISLAMABAD, Dec 8: The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources has sent to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for approval a summary which envisages suspension of supply of natural gas to all users, except domestic consumers, tandoors and some power plants, in January and February.

The summary (a copy of which has been obtained by DawnNews) also proposes loadshedding of gas for six days a week during March and April in view of a likely increase in shortfall of the fuel.

The average gas supply by the SNGPL and SSGC currently works out to about 3,734 million cubic feet per day and the estimated demand-supply position for the two utilities for winter shows a shortfall of 1,249 to 1,921 mmcfd.

“Historically, gas demand during winter increases due to manifold increase in consumption in the domestic sector, in almost all areas of the SNGPL system and in some areas of the SSGC system, which constrains the companies to enforce gas load management plans in their respective franchise areas,” the summary reads.

Under the proposed load management plan, supply to domestic and commercial sectors will remain unchanged, as per the current supply priority order.

The PakArab, Agritech and Dawood Hercules fertiliser plants — which are on the SNGPL system — will remain closed during winter, while Engro will get supply from the alternative source of Mari gas field.

The only fertiliser plant on the SSGC system — Fauji Bin Qasim — will be supplied reduced volumes till mid-December and then will remain closed till the end of February. Thereafter, supply to the plant will be restored with reduced volumes.

Independent power producers Orient, Saif, Sapphire, Halmore and Kapco will get no supply while supply commitment on the SNGPL system with power plants Rousch, FKPCL, LibertyPower and Engro Power will be honoured. On the SSGC system, partial gas load management will be observed in the power sector.

The summary says: “In Punjab, CNG stations will observe seven holidays (a week) from December to February and six holidays in March and April. In Sindh, three holidays will be observed in CNG sector. As Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s demand is expected to outstrip its supply, some load management will also be observed depending on demand-supply gap. There will be no load management in Balochistan.”

In Punjab, the industrial sector, including captive power plants, will get no gas from December to February and will observe six holidays a week in March and April. In Sindh, one holiday per week will be observed in December and two from January to March.