5 LNG terminals to be built in Pakistan to ease gas shortage

ISLAMABAD, Sept. 20 (Gwadar Pro) – Pakistan has approved the construction of five liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals, aiming to ease the country’s chronic gas shortage, said Pakistan’s oil minister on Friday.

According to the Express Tribune, the five LNG terminals will be put into operation within two to three years, said the Minister Omar Ayub Khan.

The world’s leading companies Pakistan selected to build these terminals are  Tabeer Energy, a unit of Mitsubishi Corp; Exxon and Energas; Trafigura Group and Pakistan GasPort; Shell and Engro Corp; and Gunvor Group and Fatima.

“It will make a significant dent in the gas shortage,” Mr Khan said, as Pakistan is chronically short of gas for power production.

At present, the second LNG terminal at Port Qasim could handle a capacity of 750 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd), of which the government utilises 600 mmcfd.

The remaining has not been utilised, lying idle. The private sector will utilise the idle capacity of the second LNG terminal. The third-party access rules are already in place.