Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) has officially requested a significant increase in gas transportation charges to Rs 291 per MMBTU (Million British Thermal Units).
The Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) held a public hearing to discuss the proposed price hike. Representatives from the CNG sector, textile industry, and other major industrial users attended and strongly opposed the increase.
Ghayas Paracha, Chairman of the CNG Association, led the criticism against SNGPL’s proposal. He accused the gas utility of transferring the financial burden of its own operational inefficiencies onto consumers. “SNGPL must reduce its own expenses instead of penalising users,” Paracha stated during the hearing.
He also revealed that SNGPL had initially requested a Rs271 increase but subsequently raised its demand by an additional Rs20. Paracha highlighted a contradiction between supply and distribution, noting, “Gas is available in sufficient quantities, yet consumers are not receiving adequate supply.”
The proposed increase remains pending approval from OGRA, which will consider the arguments from all sides before making a final decision. This request follows recent controversies over SNGPL’s billing practices. The company previously issued additional gas bills worth billions of rupees to industries for consumption dating back 10 years.
According to industry representatives, these bills cover extra RLNG (Regasified Liquefied Natural Gas) charges for the period between 2015 and 2022. Industrialists argue they have already settled all gas dues for those years and cannot pay the unexpected additional charges.
They further complained that the new bills are nearly 200 per cent higher than previous amounts. With SNGPL setting a two-day deadline for payment, industrialists warned that widespread factory shutdowns could occur across the region without government intervention
