June 2015 to June 2022: Aptma urges Ogra to defer RLNG bills’ payment

ISLAMABAD: The All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (Aptma) has urged the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) to defer the payment of RLNG bills covering the period from June 2015 to June 2022, citing the need for clarity and reconciliation.

In a letter addressed to the Ogra chairman, Aptma Secretary General Shahid Sattar stated that member mills have received RLNG bills amounting to hundreds of millions of rupees.

These bills reflect the actualization of provisional charges over a span of seven years and have been issued with a payment deadline of just two working days—by Tuesday, August 12, 2025.

“We strongly protest this action, as no prior explanation, detailed calculations, or breakdowns of these substantial bills have been provided.

No reconciliation of the amounts has been carried out,” Sattar wrote.

The Aptma emphasised that consumers must be afforded a fair and reasonable period to review such significant charges, in line with relevant laws and regulations.

Sattar highlighted that between 2015 and 2022, RLNG rates for the industry were fixed or capped—at $6.5/MMBtu for some periods and $9/MMBtu for others.

“There is no explanation of how these capped rates were treated in the calculation of arrears. It is inconceivable that bills of this magnitude have been issued without transparent justification or supporting data,” he noted.

He warned that in the current economic climate, the sudden imposition of these massive bills could lead to the collapse of the manufacturing sector due to a lack of liquidity.

The Aptma has requested the Ogra to grant at least 20 days for the textile industry to reconcile its actual RLNG consumption against the amounts billed.

“We also request that detailed bills be issued to all consumers, clearly indicating their monthly RLNG consumption, the additional charges levied month by month, and the applicable provisional and actualized RLNG rates,” Sattar concluded.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025