PAKISTAN is facing a gas shortage of over 2.5bn cubic feet and many of our industries depend on gas for their production, and domestic consumption. Aa a quick solution to the crisis, Pakistan turned to LNG to meet its needs.

According to media reports, the first LNG terminal in Pakistan with a capacity to re-gasify 600-630mmcfd gas was commissioned in 2013. This was a great initiative because the LNG import has saved billions of dollars when it replaced furnace oil in power production-- furnace oil being the expensive option of the two.

It has also impacted on the fertiliser industry, with such a boost that Pakistan began exporting urea instead of importing it. The CNG industry seems to have started flourishing once again in Punjab. The textile sector, a major contributor to the national exchequer, is another gas-starved industry which has also started doing well with over hundreds of units revived.

Our domestic consumers, facing worst gas load-shedding for many years,will now be able to acquire locally- produced gas in the winter as, according to another report, the Economic Coordination Committee is likely allocate it to the domestic sector. Thus the LNG import has been a positive measure for ending the energy crisis.

So, we now need more LNG terminals to meet our increased demand for LNG.

Maaz Abbasi

Karachi

Published in Dawn, October 16th, 2017