RLNG jumps 22% on global oil price surge

OGRA cites higher import costs, terminal charges

ISLAMABAD:

The Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) on Thursday notified a sharp 19-22 per cent increase in the price of regasified liquefied natural gas (RLNG) for March at the distribution stage for the country's two Sui gas companies.

The increase comes mainly due to higher terminal charges, a slight rise in import prices and a reduction in imported LNG cargoes, according to data released by the regulator.

The hike marks a rare spike in RLNG prices, following a marginal 0.5%increase in February and two consecutive reductions in December (6%) and January (5%). Earlier, RLNG prices had risen by a combined 4.4% during October and November.

The Karachi-based Sui Southern Gas Company Limited (SSGCL) supplies gas to consumers in Sindh and Balochistan, where distribution system losses currently stand at 12.55%, compared with 10.6% recorded a few months earlier.

Meanwhile, Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL), which serves consumers in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, reported distribution-stage losses of nearly 9%, up from 7.47% in October.

According to Ogra's notification, the RLNG sale price for SNGPL at the transmission stage increased by 19.3% to $12.49 per million British thermal units (mmBtu) for March, compared with $10.47 per mmBtu in February. The price stood at $10.41 per mmBtu in January 2026, $10.92 per mmBtu in December 2025 and $11.24 per mmBtu in September.

At the distribution stage, the RLNG price for SNGPL rose 19.6% to $13.55 per mmBtu for March, up from $11.335 per mmBtu in February. Previously, the price was $11.27 per mmBtu in January, $11.83 per mmBtu in December and $12.24 per mmBtu in November.

For SSGCL, the RLNG sale price at the transmission stage increased 22% to $11.12 per mmBtu for March, compared with $9.03 per mmBtu in February. It stood at $8.98 per mmBtu in January, $9.47 per mmBtu in December and $9.86 per mmBtu in September.

At the distribution stage, SSGCL's RLNG price rose 22% to $12.54 per mmBtu, compared with $10.27 per mmBtu in February. The price was $10.21 per mmBtu in January, $10.77 per mmBtu in December and $11.01 per mmBtu in September.

The regulatory authority said the increase was mainly due to the "increase in the delivered ex-ship (DES) price, import-related cost and terminal charges".