Pakistan has received its third liquefied natural gas (LNG) cargo in October, with the vessel Shandong Redwood arriving on October 28 and berthing at the Engro Elengy LNG terminal, offering some relief to the country's gas supply system amid heightened tensions in the Strait of Hormuz.
The LNG vessel arrived from Qatar at 13.37 percent of Brent and berthed alongside Engro Elengy Terminal Limited (EETL)'s floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU), Exquisite, for regasification. The latest arrival follows two earlier LNG shipments this month.
The first cargo, Al-Areesh, arrived on October 13, while the second, Ejnan, reached Pakistan on October 21 and berthed at the Pakistan GasPort Limited (PGPL) terminal for regasification. While this provides temporary relief, Pakistan faces a tougher challenge in the coming months as domestic gas demand rises with the onset of winter.
Authorities are expected to arrange 3 to 4 LNG cargoes in November. However, the procurement challenge will intensify in December and January, when Pakistan will need 9 and 11 cargoes, respectively.
During peak winter, domestic gas demand in the Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) jurisdiction, covering Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, is projected to increase from around 500 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd) to 1,500 mmcfd. In the Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) jurisdiction, covering Sindh and Balochistan, demand is expected to rise from approximately 300 mmcfd to between 500 and 600 mmcfd.