Pakistan Government removes ban on gas connections after seven years

The government has removed six year old ban on gas connections for industrial, commercial and residential consumption about due deliberations.

The Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif chaired a meeting in Islamabad and gave permission to industries, commercial and residential consumers to get new gas connection. The gas moratorium was imposed some seven years back on owing rising demand of gas in the country and fall the production.

However, as the government expect to increase Liquefied Natural Gas import in the country. Already one terminal has been installed handling 400 mmcf/day of LNG, which would soon increase to 600 mmcf/day. Moreover, second terminal is expected to be completed by June or July this year, enhancing the capacity to 1.2 bcf/day. Several industries in Punjab, since last decade have made hue and cry that due to gas shortages the units failed to operate which resulted in falling exports and laying of thousands of people. Even in sindh still there has been a complete shut down for Sunday for 24 hours, aimed to ration the gas. The currently gas output is 3.9 bcf/day while the demand surged to 6.2 billion in summer season while in winter it peaked to 7 bcf/day