The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources will be able to import the first consignment of 400MMCF of liquefied natural gas (LNG) by the end of the first quarter of the next year as it has resolved issues with the defence ministry, the Port Qasim Authority and other stakeholders.
On a directive of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, the ministry had earlier planned to import tLNG and add it to the system (200MMCF each for the Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) and Sui Southern Gas Company) by November this year but objections raised by different departments made it impossible.
Major objections included less availability or unavailability of deep sea space at Port Qasim for a huge ship carrying LNG, expected suspension of other ships’ arrival and stay at the port because of lengthy stay of the LNG-carrying ship and environment impact to be caused by re-gasifying highly explosive LNG at the port and adding it to the system.
A ministry official told the media that all issues had been resolved in a recent confidential meeting in Islamabad but there was no chance of importing LNG by November.
