Qatar, Pakistan in talks on LNG imports

30 Nov 2014

(MENAFN) Pakistan’s Petroleum Ministry said that is currently negotiating with Qatar regarding the Gulf country starting imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) early next year, Gulf Business reported.

Energy-starved Pakistan said that these talks after it almost finished working on a gas terminal, which is expected to be completely done in January, and will be able to handle 0.4 billion cubic feet of LNG per day initially, though its capacity is expected to increase to reach 0.6 billion cubic feet per day once a new pipeline dedicated to LNG is completed.

Pakistan generates nearly half of its electricity using gas, with the country currently producing around 4.1 billion cubic feet per day despite needing around 6 billion feet depending on the time of year, thus resulting in country-wide electricity cuts which could last for 20 hours a day in some areas, as well as hundreds of thousands of lost jobs.

“If extra gas comes into the system, it will change the entire economic structure of Pakistan. We have awarded a contract to build a second LNG terminal to government-controlled Sui Southern Gas Company and are considering building two more in the next two-and-a-half years,” Minister of State for Petroleum said.