ISLAMABAD: Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) has introduced gas load management for domestic consumers in Islamabad, Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, restricting supplies to three daily cooking-time slots from Wednesday as declining liquefied natural gas (LNG) availability and rising winter demand intensify pressure on the country’s gas supply system.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Under the revised schedule, domestic consumers will receive gas during the following hours:
Breakfast: 6:30am to 9:00am
Lunch: 12:00 noon to 2:30pm
Dinner: 6:00pm to 9:00pm
The restrictions also cover Islamabad, with the government prioritising household consumption to manage limited gas supplies during the winter season.
As part of its broader load management measures, SNGPL has reduced gas supplies to the compressed natural gas (CNG) sector from 50 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd) to 35 mmcfd, with plans to suspend supplies completely in the coming days.
The cement industry has already shifted to coal to meet its energy requirements, while industrial consumers connected to the gas distribution network are also experiencing reduced supplies.
Meanwhile, industries directly connected to the transmission network, including both export-oriented and non-export sectors, are currently receiving approximately 200 mmcfd. However, further reductions in industrial gas supplies remain possible depending on overall availability.
The power sector is receiving around 140 mmcfd of gas, while the fertiliser industry is being supplied approximately 53 mmcfd.
The latest restrictions reflect the growing challenges facing Pakistan’s gas sector as winter consumption increases and LNG availability remains constrained, forcing authorities to prioritise domestic cooking requirements over industrial and commercial demand.
Story by Khalid Mustafa
