Winter gas spike can only resolve with legislation on costing: Azhar

ISLAMABAD: Federal energy minister Hammad Azhar has said Sunday the country has two functional gas circuits that supplies to 70 per cent to resident of local prodcution coupled with 30 pc imported supply, ARY News reported.

Hammad Azhar said both the circuits are ring-fenced (meaning that there cost to the consumers is independent of the market factors, spirals and even in the face of shortage).

He said during the winters time the demand of gas spikes which cannot be resolved till weighted average cost of gas (WACOG) legislation has materialized.

LNG 101: We have 2 gas circuits in operation in Pakistan. 70% is based on local gas & 30% on imported LNG. Both circuits are ring-fenced in pricing & supply. During winters a demand spike occurs in local gas circuit which cannot be plugged by imported LNG till WACOG legislation.

— Hammad Azhar (@Hammad_Azhar) November 21, 2021

LNG supply, gas shortage for domestic users not linked: Hammad Azhar

Azhar said yesterday that procurement of LNG is not linked to the gas shortage as it is not provided to the domestic consumers.

Speaking during ARY NEWS programme, Aietraz Hai, Hammad Azhar said that every year there is a gas shortage in Pakistan that has only 28 percent of its households using the gas facility. “70 percent Pakistanis do not have the gas facility,” he said.