Pakistan has received its second Qatari LNG cargo of the month, with the vessel Shandong Redwood arriving from Qatar and berthing at the PGPL terminal on Wednesday morning under the long-term LNG agreement at a price equivalent to 13.37 per cent of Brent.
This is the second consecutive Qatari LNG cargo received by Pakistan this month. The first cargo arrived and berthed at the Engro terminal on September 10. For both shipments, Pakistani authorities engaged diplomatically with Iranian authorities to facilitate the smooth passage of the LNG vessels through the Strait of Hormuz.
The latest shipment provides some relief to Pakistan’s power sector amid continued gas supply constraints and prolonged load shedding in several areas.
Pakistan received its first Qatari LNG cargo of the month on September 10, when the carrier Al-Marrouna arrived carrying around 81,936 metric tonnes of LNG from Qatar’s Ras Laffan terminal. The vessel crossed the Strait of Hormuz on September 7 under the government-to-government LNG arrangement between Pakistan and Qatar.
The latest cargo was also secured at a price equivalent to 13.37 per cent of Brent. The additional LNG is expected to provide temporary support to the power sector, which is currently facing several hours of load shedding in parts of the country.
Pakistan relies heavily on imported LNG to meet the requirements of the power and industrial sectors. Any prolonged disruption to LNG shipments through the Strait of Hormuz could result in higher procurement costs, tighter gas availability and additional pressure on electricity generation.
Qatar, meanwhile, has continued diplomatic engagement with Iran and other regional countries while maintaining its position as a major global LNG supplier. For Islamabad, the latest cargo provides some breathing room, but the safe passage of future LNG shipments through the Strait of Hormuz remains critical to maintaining supplies to Pakistan’s energy system.
The development comes as Pakistan continues to closely monitor gas supplies across its transmission network. Data for September 21 showed line-pack at 4,792 MMcf, while the power sector was consuming around 208 MMcfd of gas.
Gas consumption by the fertiliser sector remained steady at 89 MMcfd, unchanged from the previous day. Meanwhile, domestic gas production has faced disruptions at several fields.
Raw gas supplies from the Qadirpur field to Liberty Power have remained suspended since 10:55am on September 17 over non-payment.
Gas input from MEL’s GTH plant was also reduced by 37 MMcfd on September 20 because of its annual turnaround. Current gas input from the plant stands at 52 MMcfd. The Nashpa plant reported an 83 MMcfd reduction in gas input following an issue at the facility, with current input standing at 83 MMcfd.
Gas input from MOL’s CPF was reduced by 158 MMcfd because of an operational problem, with current input reported at 154 MMcfd.
Despite these disruptions, officials said there is currently no forced curtailment of gas from any source on the SNGPL network.
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