- Line pack at 5.177 BCF against 5.0 BCF danger limit.
- Power sector RLNG drawdown only 293 MMcf.
- About 300 MMcf cut in gas production to ease pressure.
ISLAMABAD: After nearly two months of calm, the national gas transmission network has tipped back into a critical state, with pressure in the main trunk line breaching the five billion cubic feet (BCF) danger threshold, stoking fears of a rupture that could hobble economic activity nationwide, The News reported on Thursday.
Official data for Wednesday (October 29, 2025) show the line pack, an indicator of gas volume and pressure, at 5.177 BCF, above the safe operating limit. Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL), which transports re-gasified liquefied natural gas (RLNG), blamed the build-up on a sharp fall in power-sector offtake.
Power plants are currently drawing just 293 million cubic feet (MMcf) of imported gas for generation, despite Pakistan’s sovereign-backed, take-or-pay LNG contracts with QatarEnergy (two agreements) and Italy’s ENI (one), which were intended to ensure a steady fuel supply for four RLNG-based plants in Punjab.
Interestingly, despite rising system pressure, one LNG cargo per month from ENI continues to be diverted to the international market since February 2025, a practice expected to continue until December 2025 due to reduced domestic gas demand.
To manage the excessive line pack, authorities have already curtailed local gas production by about 300 MMcf, a move that has frustrated exploration and production (E&P) companies.
Industry officials warn that forced shutdowns of gas fields risk damaging reservoirs and could cause permanent production losses. In several past cases, gas wells failed to resume output even after more than $1 million was spent on restoration efforts.
In a related development, gas supply from the Bettani field was suspended on October 18 at 1810 hours after a sabotage attack ruptured an eight-inch Bettani-Kakakhel transmission pipeline. Separately, supply from the Dakhni plant has remained offline since October 15 due to a 21-day annual turnaround.
Attock Refinery Limited (ARL) has repeatedly cautioned the government that production cuts in local gas fields reduce crude oil output, undermining refinery operations that rely on domestic feedstock.
A senior Power Division official explained that RLNG-based power plants are operated strictly under the economic merit order (EMO) to avoid burdening consumers with higher electricity costs.
“When RLNG plants do not fall within the EMO, they remain idle because running them at full capacity would increase the basket price of electricity and fuel cost adjustments (FCA),” the official said. “The government prefers to run cheaper local-fuel plants first, along with must-run power units.”
Energy experts warn that if system pressure continues to rise unchecked, any rupture in the main gas pipeline could cripple national fuel supplies, potentially halting industrial operations, power generation and household distribution across the country.
