ISLAMABAD: The Cabinet Committee on Energy (CCOE) has approved a report of the subcommittee that recommended the allocation of pipeline capacity for liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports on a three-month rolling basis.
The development came during a meeting of the cabinet body held under the chairmanship of Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar on Monday. The meeting was attended by Minister for Energy Omar Ayub Khan, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Shibli Faraz, Minister for Finance and Revenue Abdul Hafeez Sheik, Advisor to Prime Minister on Commerce and Investment Abdul Razak Dawood, SAPM on Petroleum Nadeem Babar, and official of various divisions.
The committee approved the report of the sub-committee regarding the allocation of pipeline capacity to new LNG terminals, with the aim of encouraging investment and providing a level playing field for the LNG terminals.
The approval is aimed at providing an equal opportunity for all sectors, including CNG filling stations, to use the pipeline capacity.
The committee also decided that in order to provide a fair and level playing field for new LNG terminals, the existing available capacity in the pipeline would be allocated to any applicant, including CNG stations, which met the criteria for a three-month rolling basis till such time the new terminals achieved commercial operation date.
Furthermore, the Power Division requested the CCoE approval for ratification of a mistake made in previous summaries it had submitted in meetings held on February 27, 2019, and August 28, 2019, whereby three companies were erroneously included in two different categories at the same time.
The committee asked the ministry to rectify the mistake immediately and extend full facilitation to private investors.
