SSGC and SNGPL introduce three daily gas supply windows for households as rising winter demand and reduced LNG availability put pressure on Pakistan’s gas distribution network.
ISLAMABAD: The Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) and Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) have introduced winter gas supply restrictions for domestic consumers, limiting household availability to three designated periods daily amid rising demand and pressure on the country’s gas distribution system.
Under the schedule announced by SSGC, domestic consumers will receive gas from 6:30am to 9am, 12pm to 2:30pm and 6pm to 9pm. The company said the decision was taken in accordance with federal government directives, with priority given to household consumers during peak cooking hours.
The arrangement is intended to ensure that households have access to gas for essential cooking needs while authorities manage limited supplies during the colder months.
Meanwhile, SNGPL has also introduced gas load management for domestic consumers in Islamabad, Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Households in these areas will receive gas during the same three daily time slots: morning, afternoon and evening.
The restrictions come as declining liquefied natural gas (LNG) availability and increasing winter consumption put additional pressure on Pakistan’s gas supply network.
The impact of gas shortages is also being felt across commercial and industrial sectors, with authorities adjusting supplies to different categories of consumers to manage available resources.
SNGPL has reduced gas supplies to the compressed natural gas (CNG) sector from 50 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd) to 35 mmcfd. The company is also considering completely suspending gas supplies to the sector in the coming days.
The cement industry has already shifted to coal to meet its energy requirements, while industrial consumers connected to the gas distribution network are also facing supply cuts.
Industries directly connected to the transmission network, including both export-oriented and non-export sectors, are currently receiving approximately 200 mmcfd of gas. However, further reductions may be introduced depending on supply availability.
The power sector is receiving around 140 mmcfd, while the fertiliser industry is being supplied approximately 53 mmcfd.
The government is prioritising domestic consumers during the winter season as authorities seek to balance limited gas resources among household, commercial and industrial users.
The three-slot supply arrangement is aimed at maintaining gas availability for household cooking requirements during peak hours, while reduced LNG availability and higher seasonal consumption continue to challenge the country’s energy distribution system.
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