With shortages already affecting households and businesses in cities it supplies natural gas to, the Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) has warned that its system may collapse if deficit between supply and demand widens sharply because of rapidly declining temperatures.
“The demand-supply position had deteriorated to a dangerous level and any further deterioration would likely lead to system collapse”, the SNGPL told the federal government yesterday.
The SNGPL’s managing director, Arif Hameed, wrote to the government that a fire at the Sui gas field had already reduced the amount of gas supplied to the system by 240MMCFD. And now the city loads were increasing due to the plunging mercury, making the situation worse.