Gas shortage
It is the peak of winter, and that means it’s time for gas loadshedding. Life across the country, already affected by Covid-19, is coming to a freeze as manufacturing, businesses, fuel stations, and everyday activities grind to a halt. Already we have heard that industrial supply from Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC), which supplies Sindh and Balochistan, will be cut by 50%. Meanwhile, CNG stations in both provinces will also have at least two dry days per week. That, however, is still better than Sui Northern Gas Pipelines (SNGPL), which will only supply CNG stations in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa for three days a week and are entirely cutting supply in Punjab.
Still, domestic consumers are suffering from low or no gas supply. Cooking, if possible, is an ordeal, and can only be attempted if the rest of the family wears half-a-dozen sweaters. Meanwhile, the gas companies have gone on the offensive, with newspaper reports quoting them denying shortages and blaming consumers instead. These reports become even more surprising when the Petroleum Division is admitting that there is a supply shortage. Yet, they have little to say when asked about their own inefficiency. This year, ‘unaccounted for gas’ — the same as line losses in the power sector — has risen to 16% for SSGC and almost 12% for SNGPL. The permissible limit is an already-high 7%.
For its part, the government said it is importing cheaper LNG and would cut supply to captive power plants if necessary. Unfortunately, neither of these is an economically viable solution. Even ‘cheap’ LNG is often too expensive for the masses, and captive power plants are essential to many businesses on which our economy depends. Millions of poorer consumers have to make do with firewood, which is an inefficient and dangerous option. For a real solution, we need to revisit a gas pipeline from Iran. Although US sanctions currently stand in the way, Joe Biden is expected to roll back the sanctions soon after taking office. We would be wise to restart talks as soon as he puts pen to paper.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 25th, 2020.
Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.