LNG import project attracts 17 companies

Selected parties will develop storage units and import gas.

KARACHI:

Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) has announced that it has received 17 Expressions of Interest (EOIs) from local and international players in response to the invitation for import of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) under third party access.

These companies will develop their own LNG floating storage and re-gasification unit, arrange supply of LNG and will have their own buyers of re-gasified LNG. They will be allocated capacity under SSGC’s transmission system.

SSGC said the primary objective behind inviting EOIs on May 24 was to determine the number of parties interested in setting up LNG terminals and their state of preparedness so that SSGC can plan to modify and augment its system to help provide entry and exit points to LNG terminal operators as well as the volume they transport through the company’s system.

SSGC said it was encouraging interested parties to expedite setting up LNG terminals so that imported gas was brought at the earliest in order to meet the growing shortage of gas.

It said SSGC and Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) operated under the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) Ordinance, which would provide for ‘common carriage’ and ‘open access’ facilities to parties interested in transporting gas through the system of both companies.

After evaluating EOIs, SSGC said it would request interested parties to make presentations to establish their credibility, interest and capability for importing LNG on a fast-track basis.

The 17 companies which submitted EOIs are Shell Gas and Power Developments, 4Gas Asia, Granada Group of Companies, NatGas, BW Fleet Management AS, MTMKN Group, Global Energy Infrastructure, Pakistan Gasport, Kot Addu Power Company, PK Energy, Vitol, Engro Corp, SAF International, LNG Energy, Iran Liquefied Gas Company, Trading Enterprises and Xpro Energy.





Published in The Express Tribune, June 29^th, 2011.