Winter plan would limit domestic gas supply to eight hours a day

Domestic gas consumers could go without supply for up to 16 hours a day this winter under a proposed schedule that would limit household gas to eight hours in every 24, ProPakistani reported.

The Ministry of Petroleum has completed work on the winter supply plan and will soon present it to the prime minister, the outlet said, quoting sources. No official announcement has been made on final approval or on when any schedule would take effect.

Under the proposed timetable, households would receive gas around breakfast, in the afternoon and at dinner, with supply restricted during the remaining hours. Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited and Sui Southern Gas Company, the two state distributors that cover different regions, would each publish its own schedule.

ProPakistani reported that SNGPL currently supplies about 487 million cubic feet of gas a day to domestic consumers, while SSGC supplies about 286 mmcfd. Demand running ahead of available supply is the stated reason for the curtailment.

The outlet also reported that LPG prices are rising, which would add to costs for households that turn to cylinders when pipeline gas is off. LPG is widely used for cooking in areas outside the two companies' networks, including much of Gilgit-Baltistan, where piped gas is largely unavailable and winter heating depends on cylinder supply, kerosene and firewood.

Samaa TV also carried a report on winter energy concerns, saying in its headline that electricity prices are likely to triple during the season and that loadshedding is feared. The channel's report did not set out the basis for that figure in the material available.

The Ministry of Petroleum, SNGPL and SSGC had not issued a public statement on the proposal by the time the report was published. Past winter schedules have been announced by the ministry and the companies shortly before the season, and have varied between regions.

Gas shortfalls in Pakistan worsen each winter as household heating demand rises while supplies from aging fields decline and imported LNG remains costly. The gap has been met in previous years with load management, CNG closures on certain days and increased reliance on LPG cylinders.