ISLAMABAD: The Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) has introduced an additional 20mmcfd of costlier imported gas into its system to maintain uninterrupted gas supply to households during sehri and iftar throughout Ramadan. The cost of this imported gas, re-gasified liquid natural gas (RLNG), will be passed on to industrial consumers in Karachi, upper Sindh, and Balochistan.
According to Syed Muhammad Saeed Rizvi, Deputy Managing Director (DMD) of Operations at SSGC, the additional gas supply has been in effect since the beginning of Ramadan on March 2. Domestic consumers will not bear the cost of the RLNG, which is the difference between the price of imported gas and the tariff for indigenous gas used by households.
The government has set the RLNG price for SSGC at around $12 per mmbtu (roughly Rs3,360 per mmbtu), while domestic gas prices range from Rs200 per mmbtu to Rs4,200 per mmbtu depending on consumption.
Rizvi noted that there was adequate gas supply before the induction of the additional RLNG, but disruptions occurred due to some consumers using compressors to receive high-pressure gas, affecting the supply to those not using such machines. Despite the increased supply, many households have still experienced gas outages during sehri and iftar hours.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has taken notice of these complaints and directed both SSGC and SNGPL to ensure uninterrupted gas supply to consumers.
SSGC has announced a specific gas supply schedule for Ramadan:
– Gas availability timing: 03:00am to 09:00am, 03:30pm to 10:00pm
– Gas closure timing: 09:00am to 03:30pm, 10:00pm to 03:00am
The utility company is also working on expanding gas infrastructure in Karachi, Sindh, and Balochistan to improve supply to households, industries, and commercial consumers. Despite this, SSGC is currently supplying 730 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd) against a demand of 1,100 mmcfd, managing the shortfall through load management for both industrial and residential consumers.
SSGC serves approximately 3.2 million consumers through its extensive 50,000 km network across Sindh and Balochistan.
