ISLAMABAD: Local gas curtailment has surged to 350 million cubic feet (MMcf) as pipeline linepack ballooned to 4.9 billion cubic feet on Friday, following a steep cut in RLNG offtake by the power sector to just 122 million cubic feet per day (MMcfd).
“The drop in consumption has upset the system balance, forcing authorities to throttle indigenous gas production to manage pressure,” officials at the Petroleum Division told this scribe.
The government plans to divert 35 LNG cargoes to the international market in 2026 — 24 under long-term supply arrangements with QatarEnergy and 11 from Eni. No cargo was diverted in January or February 2026. However, diversions will commence in March, beginning with one ENI cargo.
Officials said curtailment had already reached 250MMcfd before being raised to350 MMcfd to contain mounting linepack pressure. Exploration and production (E&P) companies have expressed alarm over repeated shutdowns of local gas fields, cautioning that some reservoirs, once closed, may not regain natural pressure.
