CNG stations in Sindh to remain shut till July 9
CNG stations have been closed since June 22 in Sindh
June 28, 2021
Compressed natural gas (CNG) stations will remain closed till July 9 in Sindh, Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) announced on Monday.
CNG stations in the province have been closed since June 22 and were scheduled to resume operations from 8am tomorrow, CNG associations said while responding to the development.
A few days back, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Power & Petroleum Tabish Gauhar, during a TV interview, had said the country would face a gas shortage from June 29-July 5.
On June 22, Sameer Najam Al Hussain, the coordinator of the Sindh zone of the All Pakistan CNG Association, had said the decision came after they had received a notification of gas supply closure for an indefinite period.
The 2021-22 budget recently gave rise to concerns about a price hike for CNG due to a proposed general sales tax on LNG by the government. The All Pakistan CNG Association said the imposition of new and additional taxes of LNG will increase the price of CNG from Rs6 to Rs9 per kilogramme.
Annual gas repairs raise fears of power crisis
Moreover, due to the annual repairs of gas fields, concerns have risen of a power crisis across the country, sources had informed Geo News last week.
The sources had said that due to the repair of gas fields and shutting down of LNG supply, gas supply to power plants producing electricity will be affected.
"LNG supply will remain closed for one to one-and-a-half week," sources had added.
Shahbaz slams govt
Meanwhile, Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Shahbaz Sharif, in a statement on June 23, had expressed concern over reports of a new gas and electricity crisis.
In a statement, Shahbaz said that despite the availability of additional and cheaper power sources, the government was generating expensive electricity — and was carrying out load-shedding to boot.
"The closure of the RLNG plant next month would mean that electricity would be generated from diesel and furnaces, which are expensive," he said.
Shahbaz said that the government is "increasing the problems" of the country with the "worst administrative sabotage".
"Reports of a new gas and power crisis from next month are unfortunate, as industrial activities and business will be affected due to gas and power outages."
