ISLAMABAD: Pakis­tan on Thursday rejected the two lowest bids from BP Singapore and Total Energies for the import of liquefied natural gas (LNG) at $17.2848 and $16.98 per million British thermal units (mmBtu) for delivery next week and the last week of the current month.

State-run Pakistan LNG Ltd (PLL) received a total of seven bids: three cargoes for May 12-14 and four for May 24-26, in response to its urgent tenders floated a day earlier. For the first cargo, PetroChina bid $17.69 per mmBtu, BP Singapore $17.28, and Vitol Bahrain $17.84. For the second cargo (May 24-26), TotalEnergies offered $16.98, OQ Trading $18.58, SOCAR Trading $17.21, and PetroChina International $17.49.

PLL floated urgent tenders on Wednesday on a 36-hour notice for the import of two LNG cargoes for delivery between May 12-14 and May 24-26 amid rising temperatures and a power shortfall.

Qatar, Pakistan’s long-term LNG supplier, had been reluctant to send LNG-loaded cargoes stranded in the Gulf due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Qatar’s three LNG cargoes meant for Pakistan had earlier returned from Hormuz due to security reasons.

In April, the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) had notified a massive 19-22 per cent increase in the price of regasified liquefied natural gas (RLNG) to $12.50-$14 per million British thermal units for sales at the distribution stage by the two Sui gas companies for March.

The increase was mainly due to a surge in terminal charges amid lower import volumes and an uptick in import prices, the dataset from the authority showed.

Published in Dawn, May 8th, 2026