LNG company promises uninterrupted gas supply through virtual pipeline

FAISALABAD: Pakistan’s first licensed LNG pipeline company will play a major role in ensuring uninterrupted liquefied natural gas to domestic, industrial and commercial consumers through a virtual pipeline across the country.

The assurance was made by Yasir Hameed, chief executive officer of the LNG Easy (Pvt) Limited company, here on Tuesday.

Addressing a meeting at the Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry (FCCI), he said that gap was widening between demand and supply of energy in the country, which would aggravate further with depletion of existing gas reserves. “We need a virtual pipeline to cater to the energy needs of the country,” he said and added that pipeline supply was a costly option and hence the company was introducing a virtual pipeline to supply LNG from Qatar to any destination in Pakistan through an integrated system of transportation.

“We have our own cargo ship with jetty and cryogenic bowsers,” he said and added that the company had also inked agreements with the NLC and Pakistan Railways to carry the LNG filled bowsers from port to any destination in the country.

He said that LNG Easy (Pvt) Limited had multiple options for consumers hailing from different sectors and it could provide truck mounted skids while bulk consumers having their own storage tanks could also be filled with regular periodicity.

Continuing, Yasir Hameed said that the government had announced stopping gas supply to the captive power plants of the industrial sector from June this year.

“The LNG Easy (Pvt) Limited will ensure LNG supply to these units according to the mutually agreed terms and conditions so that the industrial process could continue without any break,” he added.

Welcoming the guests, FCCI President Engineer Hafiz Ihtasham Javed said that Faisalabad was one of the major load centres of the country. “The establishment of M3 industrial city and Allama Iqbal Export Processing Zone will further enhance the demand of LNG and this company will certainly play its role in early colonisation of the mega industrial estates."

He said that the daily demand of gas in Pakistan was around 6,000 MMCF, while only 4,000 MMCF was available through the existing pipeline system. He said that Pakistan must switch over to other alternate means to meet its ever-increasing LNG needs.