Pakistan is all set for the completion of its third terminal that will have a capacity of 750 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd) at Port Qasim’s LNG Zone in Karachi, reported a national daily. The construction is being carried out by a Turkish company, Global Energy Infrastructure Limited (GEIL). The terminal is expected to be completed in 2018. The total installed capacity is approximately 2000 million cubic feet per day.
“The terminal would be ready to import LNG in the second half {July-December} of 2018,” told Farrakh Qayyum, Chief Executive Officer at GEIL in Islamabad. “This is being set up at a cost of $250-300 million and will be the first private-to-private LNG project,” he said.
The terminal is being constructed by a consortium of the private sector and would facilitate players such as CNG dealers, fertiliser manufacturers, power producers and state-owned companies like Pakistan State Oil.
Höegh LNG, one of the leading providers and operators of LNG Floating Storage Regasification Unit (FSRU), and LNG carriers signed a contract in December 2016 for chartering FSRU with GEIL for the LNG import terminal.
Qatar Petroleum (QP) announced on Tuesday that it along with Total, Mitsubishi, ExxonMobil and Hoegh have joined the consortium who are already engaged in setting up the terminal.
The FSRU, as per the agreement, would facilitate import of gas in Pakistan for the next 20 years from Qatargas. The agreement also provides an extension in the gas import period by an additional two to five years.
Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi, President and CEO of Qatar Petroleum, said in the statement “forming this Consortium…represents a significant milestone that complements Pakistan’s successful effort to meet the growing demand for clean-burning natural gas in this important market.”
The second LNG terminal, Pakistan LNG Terminal Limited at Port Qasim, is expected to kick-start operation in 2017. FRUS for this terminal, with an install capacity to 600mmcfd, is scheduled to reach Port Qasim sometime in June 2017. The terminal is being set up by Pakistan Gasport Consortium Limited.
The first LNG import terminal in operation was established by Engro’s Elengy Terminal Pakistan Limited. It has an installed capacity of 600mmcfd.
