Pakistan is bracing for a tight winter fuel season after a Qatar LNG shortage deepened: QatarEnergy has extended its force majeure—an emergency halt on contractual liquefied natural gas deliveries—until Dec 29. Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik confirmed the prolongation, which is expected to squeeze LNG availability in December and January, when household use normally peaks.
Officials estimate the country needs about 20 LNG cargoes across those two months—nine in December and 11 in January—but the government is planning to arrange only 10. That gap of 10 shipments leaves a large share of projected winter LNG unmet and raises the chance of curtailments beyond the home sector.
Who may lose supply first
With less imported gas arriving, competition among households, industry and the power sector is likely to intensify. Household consumers are expected to receive priority. Power plants, industries, fertiliser manufacturers, cement factories and compressed natural gas (CNG) stations could face restricted supplies if the shortfall holds.
Senior officials of the Sui gas companies—the main pipeline distributors—said household demand in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa could climb from around 500 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd) to 1,500 mmcfd in December and January, a threefold jump. In Sindh and Balochistan, domestic demand is projected to double from roughly 300 mmcfd to 600 mmcfd over the same period.
Pressure on an already tight system
The mix of reduced LNG inflows and sharply higher seasonal consumption is expected to strain Pakistan’s constrained gas network further. That raises concerns about energy availability for cooking and heating at home, for factories that need process gas, and for electricity generation that still relies on gas-fired plants when other fuels are costly or scarce.
The Qatar LNG shortage does not create the whole Pakistan gas shortage on its own, but it arrives at the hardest weeks of the year, when pipeline gas alone cannot cover the winter spike. How many of the planned 10 cargoes are secured, and how curtailment schedules are applied, will shape how severe the crunch feels on the ground.
Timeline: what has happened so far
- Dec 29: QatarEnergy’s force majeure on LNG supplies is set to run until this date, the petroleum minister confirmed.
- December: Peak household demand begins; officials estimate nine LNG cargoes are required that month.
- January: Demand remains high; 11 cargoes are estimated as needed, completing a two-month requirement of 20 against a plan for 10.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Qatar ne LNG supply rokne ka waqt 29 December tak barha diya hai. Pakistan ko sardiyon ke do mahine mein lagbhag 20 cargo chahiye the, lekin abhi 10 ki planning hai. Gharoon ko gas pehle dene ka irada hai, lekin factoryon, bijli ke plants aur CNG stations par kami aa sakti hai. Punjab, KP, Sindh aur Balochistan mein gharoon ki gas ki zaroorat bohat barh jayegi.
